Storming the Gates
by danAlwyn
Summary: Part Two of Acts of War. Khartan's plan is revealed. Now, with Earth stripped of her defenders, the digidestined have one chance to return to the world they swore to protect, where the real battle awaits.
1. Knowledge and Power

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon  
Important: This is the sequel to The Hammer Falls. You should read that first, otherwise things won't make sense at all.  
  


Act II  
Storming the Gates  
  
  
_I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,  
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot!  
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge  
Cry 'God for Harry, England and St. George!'_  
  
The Life of Henry the Fifth, Act III, Scene I  
William Shakespeare  


  
"So, how's it going with Procyon?" Gennai lounged around, leaning against the wall in the room of the lounge, a room embellished with rich old polished woods that almost glowed a deep brown. The place was filled with the decorations of an old English sitting room, something created by nobility for nobility. Only a single set of computerized viewscreens looked out of place, sitting on top of a polished walnut desk in the corner.  
"Acceptable I suppose." Justice lounged against the corner and watched the patterns of lights move overhead in the sky, dancing and weaving in and out of the heavens themselves.  
"Not well I take it."  
"Not as well as I would like." Justice does not move, does not give any indication. "Our casualties will be high."  
"They always are." Gennai brushed a hand over a shelf of old books, as if looking for some ancient tome, but nothing attracted his interest.  
"I must admit, the fact that we ended up impressing the Digidestined to clean up a mess we made, and to get involved in this pointless war, does sort of tug on my nerves."  
"You're turning into an old man Justice. You know as well as I that what they have to do is necessary."  
"I guess I am turning into an old man. I'm what, a thousand years old by this time, and older if you count experience. If I can't behave like an old man, who can? I just feel we could have at least given them a choice." Justice smiled and flipped one arm up to point at the sky.  
"I can for one. I'm a lot older than you are you know."  
Justice laughed. "That's it. We're a brace of foolish old men. What can we do?"  
Gennai laid a gentle hand on Justice's shoulder. "Change the world old friend. Change the world."  


  
Episode XIV  
Powers Held on High  
  
_Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est.  
_Knowledge itself is power  
Religious Meditations, Of Heresies  
Francis Bacon  
  
_Warning: Absolutely NO Ideas Past This Point!  
_Sign on the Citadel Edelver R&D Lab  
Attributed to Cortell  
  


"So, are we close?" Matt asked, his hands stuck in his pockets, looking around.  
"I hope so, I'm running out of places to look." Leomon peered around, as if his continued stare could pierce the clouds of darkness lurking under the branches of every tree.  
"They couldn't have just packed up and moved everything, could they have?" Ogremon asked. "It would be just like them to leave us here all alone, wouldn't it."  
"You still haven't said who this _us_ is." Tai complained, staring around at the trunks of the old trees that lay here and there, decorating the landscape like a forest of misplaced Roman columns.  
"Well, I trust them." Mimi replied heatedly.  
"Hold on Mimi, it's not that I don't trust them. It's just that I hate being left out of the loop."  
"Tai, you live out of the loop." Matt looked back at him.  
"Oh no." Gabumon sighed. "Is it their turn to fight again already?"  
"I hope not." Agumon just sounded tired. "I'm tired of cleaning up the mess afterwards."  
"Ah ha!" Leomon pointed with one huge hairy paw. "Right through there I think."  
"Halt, who goes there? What's the password?" Yelled another voice, coming out of the woods ahead. It sounded vaguely familiar to the rest of them.  
"It's us Frigimon." Centarumon called, rearing up on his hind legs for just a moment to draw himself to his full height. "But we don't know the password at the moment."  
"Oh, is it you? And who are you?" A familiar white head, looking like a snowman with a serious weight problem, peered around a tree suspiciously. A moment later the eyes widened. "Oh wow! Leomon, Ogremon, Centarumon! You must have escaped just a bit ago! Holy cow, I'm glad to see you guys. And what's this, new recruits?" The white head peered out even farther, and the eyes widened even more until the effect was comical. "Oh wow! It's even better! It's the Digidestined. Hey kids, remember me?"  
"Of course we remember you. You and your sub-zero ice punch." Tai waved at him, laughing. "How are you doing Frigimon?"  
"Well, not to good, we haven't been winning that much if you know what I mean, but other than that, I'm doing fine." Frigimon stepped all the way around, and he was as big as they all remembered him being from File Island. "But everyone will be really happy to see you, especially those that know you already."  
"Know us already, what do you mean?" Izzy sounded curious, but Frigimon was already gesturing them to follow him. Quickly he led them through a maze of trees, occasionally looking around as if searching for landmarks, and then gesturing them onward again once he found his bearings.  
"Did the boss make it out okay? When they attacked the tree we got caught inside and didn't see what happened up top." Leomon turned to Frigimon.  
"Boss, what boss?" Tai asked impatiently, but Agumon grabbed onto his hand to keep him from plunging ahead in a verbal cavalry charge.  
"Oh, you haven't heard." Frigimon's ears drooped, a difficult feat for a snowman. "No, no, he didn't get out. The others are trying to figure out a way to deal with that now."  
"Really? Then we've arrived just in time." Leomon seemed pleased.  
"Goody, some more action." Ogremon just sounded like he was trying to be tough.  
At that moment Frigimon pushed aside some branches and exposed the entrance to what looked like a hill. For a moment they stared at it, before realizing that beneath the hill was an entire artificial cave, or, more accurately, the hill had been built on top of a large, rotund building. Inside they could just make out faint lights illuminating different parts of the building on a regular interval.  
As they went inside, and as their eyes adjusted to the dark, the shapes inside, living Digimon moving around quietly, seemed to suddenly recognize their presence. Suddenly the shapes resolved into figures much more concrete and real-like, and a forest of curious eyes surrounded them, watching them.  
"I am pleased to see you again Digidestined." The clanking voice was familiar, and Andromon stepped carefully and mechanically out from the crowd behind him. "I was informed that you were in this area, but I was not told that you would dropping by. And I am doubly pleased to see our comrades bravely rescued."  
"Hey, we're all happy to see all of them." Meramon stepped forward as well, and from the way he winked it was virtually certain that this was the same Digimon who they had met so many years before.  
"Hmmm" Tai had not realized how tall the building might stretch until Monzaemon showed up towering over him, staring down at him with giant red teddy bear eyes. "I certainly hadn't expected to see any of you for a long time. This is a pleasure."  
"So this is where you all went!" Mimi exclaimed. "I wonder why we could never find you back in our area of the Digital World."  
"Andromon was there." Agumon reminded them.  
"Yes, I was the last." Andromon looked at them very seriously. "I was left as a last guard to keep watch on the land. Although I was not unable to prevent the arrival of the Digimon Emperor, I was able to assist you in some small way. Then I came here to aid these others in the defense of our world."  
"So now is everybody here?" Tai asked.  
"Almost everybody. We are still missing your old friend Piximon. Gennai placed him in charge of this little operation, but he appears to be missing from what Frigimon has told us." Leomon turned from the children to the group of Digimon who were staring at them.  
"Piximon! He's here?" Mimi exclaimed.  
"Was here." Andromon reported. "This is our emergency headquarters. Our old one used to be in a giant house inside a tree deep in the woods, a fair distance from here."  
"We've been there. That's where we rescued them." Gabumon told the other group.  
Andromon just nodded before continuing. "This is certainly something interesting. We will have to discuss it later. Anyway, the forces of Daemon found us there, and attacked before we could escape. Although we were sorely beset by our enemies, most of us managed to disappear into the surrounding forest. However, Piximon was trapped before he could complete the evacuation."  
"Trapped. Where is he now?" Centarumon wanted to know.  
"We believe that Datamon carted him off." Andromon raised a hand and a variety of digital lights appeared in the air before him in odd patterns. "Unimon, flying a high reconnaissance mission, managed to get a brief glimpse of what he thought was Piximon before he was carted off. However, at this point he was engaged by a pair of Kuwagamon, and was forced to withdraw from the field. We tracked the group he was with, and they appear to have taken him to Datamon's underground laboratory over by Kaltuth."  
"Datamon!" Sora exclaimed, shivering just a little. "I thought he was destroyed."  
"Perhaps he was, but this may be a new one. In any case, this Datamon is continually fixated on examining and cross-examining all Digimon, and he has been serving as Daemon's chief, wellscientist. We were just in the process of planning a rescue mission."  
"Piximon's an old friend. I hope you'll count us in." Tai spoke up for the group.  
"Yeah, and I wouldn't mind another crack at that walking tin can." Agumon growled.  
"With you adding to our presence, it would not be difficult to dramatically increase our abilities." Andromon looked rather pleased. "It is not easy for us to risk Digimon in such a venture. But you are the Digidestined, and as such, have powers that we are not accustomed to. If you think that you can help"  
"Better than that, we might be able to do it all. I think that Zudomon and Lilymon can handle that garbage disposal, and there's a distinct possibility that one of our Digimon might be able to go to Ultimate as well. Maybe all of ours." Matt sounded excited. "We're used to this sort of thing. We might as well do the work here."  
"Yeah. No offense or anything, but with Piximon, wellit's sort of personal. Just tell us what you know and we'll get the job done." Tai sounded like he had decided that it was his turn to be mindlessly enthusiastic.  
"Is it just me or are we starting to suffer from a lot of overconfidence?" Sora asked Izzy very quietly.  
"I think it's worse. Matt was the one who suggested the attack, and he's usually the quiet one. I think Tai went along with it to avoid being one-upped by Matt. It's all really confusing to me, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it." Izzy shrugged and went back to examining the display of lights zooming around in the air.  
"I guess one thing's as good as another." Sora muttered as they sat around. Tai was already discussing things with Andromon about how they were going to fight, and where they were going to fight. Matt was helping out, volunteering what seemed to be partially absurd ideas. Mimi and Joe looked bored.  
"Well, they will come up with something, and I'm sure it will be a workable plan. Don't worry Sora, everything will come out all right in the end, I'm certain of it."  
  
"So, that's the place?" Tai asked, squinting through his goggles.  
"That's the place all right." Leomon looked down. The spot he was looking at was built into the canyon walls, a single door made out of what looked like battleship-grade steel armor. If Izzy and Andromon were correct, the vast plateau stretching out toward the horizon provided the roof for Datamon's underground laboratory, and the door might be the only entrance.  
"Ventilation shafts?" Matt asked Izzy, who was trying to zoom in on things with his laptop.  
"Of course. Do you think you can squeeze through the force shields and the energy traps? This isn't a spy movie. I don't know if such things even exist here, but I think that Datamon has already heard of them, and he appears to have trapped his ventilation ducts."  
"Back door?" Tai suggested.  
"Checked and double checked. He doesn't seem to have one."  
"Escape tunnel?" Matt looked around for a pile of rock that would make a handy exit.  
"Can't find one at all. Maybe he thinks he doesn't need one, or maybe it's too well hidden. Maybe he just has some sort of portal generator somewhere in his lab. And even if we could find it, I bet it's full of traps and alarms."  
"Aqueduct?" Joe thought for a moment.  
"Underground water table. We might as well try to dig our way in." Izzy looked down at the map again.  
"Chimneys, exhaust pipes?" Joe continued.  
"Hmmmmdon't seem to be any. Of course, since this is the DigiWorld, I'm hardly surprised at this turn of events."  
"Well, you're just full of good news, aren't you." Tai sounded like he was sulking and he turned back to watching the plateau as if more watching would create a door for him. Wind stirred his hair for a moment, but nothing happened across the valley.  
"I'm sorry Tai, I can't create things that aren't there." Izzy replied, not sounding very happy himself, but the others had already turned to other topics.  
"Maybe we could fool the guards and walk in." Tai was elaborating his plan with a series of over-enthusiastic hand gestures.  
"Maybe, but I doubt it." Matt replied, pointing. "Look, we've been surveying the whole area for almost a day now, and we haven't seen anybody. It's pretty obvious that they aren't expecting somebody to just come knocking on the door."  
"We could say we were lost." Mimi suggested brightly. "Maybe they'd let us in to help us."  
"With Datamon it's more likely they would let us in to do experiments on us." Sora replied, shooting Mimi a quick look.  
"Oh well, it was just an idea." Mimi looked just a little embarrassed.   
"I have an idea." Joe suggested after a moment.  
"What?" Everybody asked a bit waspishly.  
"Well, once when I was littler, our upstairs neighbor was doing some experimenting with a large, heavy, fish tank. He dropped it off its pedestal, and it fell right through the ceiling and drenched me with about two hundred liters of fish water and a very irritated snapping turtle. It took them half an hour to get the stupid thing to let go of me. I was just thinking, could we go through his roof. After all, it's right there. Then again, it's probably a pretty stupid idea."  
"Actually, that's a pretty good idea. I think we might be able to do it. Izzy?"  
"Leave it to me to fill in the details. Let me checkif geological patterns match thenhow does this work again.let's see, comparative hardness goes heresay allowing for steel support roofcompute stress modulushopefully get an answer. Okay, yes, I think that if we use Zudomon we can smash through the roof, but it will create a lot of noise."  
"Don't worry about that." Leomon swelled up. "Ogremon and I will launch an assault on the doors as a feint to distract them, and give you time to break in. If we make enough noise they might not even notice you, and you can get out with Piximon before they even realize you're there."  
"Too bad." Tai sighed. "And here I was looking forward to taking a can opener to that arrogant jerk."  
"Why do I have to do all the work?" Gomamon asked, in the tone of voice that indicated that it was time to needle Joe again.  
"Well, I suppose we could give you all shovels instead" Joe began, but Gomamon backed off as all the other Digimon glared at him.  
"All right, it's decided!" Tai stated. "Let's kick it off!"  
_I think there's something wrong with this_, Izzy told himself sternly, _but I can't figure out what it is, so I don't think that I'm going to worry about it._  
  
"Fist of the Beast King!"  
"Pummel Whack!"  
Two furious explosions made their way across the front of the plateau, blasting away chunks of old rock, the color of beach sand, and leaving a fine mist of dirt and debris in their wake. Two blasts, one of purple fire, and one of a corresponding orange, did the work of about ten thousand years of erosion in a matter of seconds. As the dirt settled, the door remained intact, although now pitted, but the area around the door was blown about half a meter inward.  
It had been Sora and Biyomon who pointed out, while they were still planning everything, that the area around the door might not be as strong as the door itself, and more susceptible to their vigorous attack. It might even be possible to blow the supports around the door down. Leomon and Ogremon were only supposed to be providing a distraction, but they acted as if they had every intention of storming the gates all by themselves.  
"Man, it looks like they haven't even noticed." Joe remarked, peering at the whole scene.  
"Well, if I was them, I would be waiting inside the building." Gabumon responded. "That way, when they came through the door, they would be caught in a crossfire."  
"Then it's a good thing they aren't going through that door." Tentomon fluttered and hovered anxiously nearby.  
"Indeed." Izzy looked around a little anxiously.  
"Shall we get to it?" Agumon asked nervously.  
"Let's go, I'm tired of standing out here in the open." Tai complained, looking grumpier than usual.  
"Right, time to go Gomamon." Joe grabbed his D3 and thrust it out.  
"Gomamondigivolves toIkkakumon!"  
"Ikkakumondigivolves toZudomon!"  
"Vulcan's Hammer!" A massive blow with the gray metal hammer removed any trace of doubt from their minds as to the Ultimate's awe inspiring muscle power. Rock shattered and pummeled into oblivion under the force of that mighty hammer, sending chips flying through the air like knives. Fortunately, Zudomon, with some foresight, had placed himself between them and the impact sight, meaning that the chips and dangerous parts flicked off of him instead of impacting in soft flesh. As the dust cleared everybody could see a huge hole in the carved rock, descending into a cavern sheathed in smooth metal, and illuminated brightly by artificial lighting.  
"Looks like we got in. De-Digivolve Zudomon, and we'll see if we can sneak in quietly, eh?"  
"Quietly? Just how do we do that?" Biyomon murmured as she observed the huge hole they had just created in the ground.  
"Never mind that, let's just go." Matt muttered impatiently.  
  
"This place is empty." Sora told them, coming back from the gray-metal door that she had just opened and looked through. "If there's anybody here, they're doing a really good job of hiding."  
Ceiling tiles lay around them in random patterns, marking the method they had used to enter the building. Computers, standing on metal tables and counters around the room, were the predominant devices, along with the huge black viewscreens mounted along the walls. Buttons flashed in what seemed like random patterns, different colors as well, red, blue and green, illuminating the walls. Glowing white fluorescent lamps glared down at them like baleful eyes, wondering at this strange intrusion. One screen still functioned, and it displayed a variety of different views of what appeared to be the structure that they were in.  
"You see that?" Tai asked, pointing at the functioning screen. "Security cameras. I bet this place is some kind of security center, and what we're looking at is the master control system."  
"Or something. Come on, this place makes me nervous." Agumon started fidgeting again, watching as Gomamon greedily gulped down a few pieces of dried bread.  
"No. Izzy, see if you can tap into the computers and find out where they're keeping Piximon."  
"Right." Izzy plugged his trusty laptop into the system and let the data streams wash over him, but hardly needed to use his hacking skills. A quick inquiry, sent into the system's mainframe returned a quick response, a suspiciously quick response, along with a map, showing both their position and the location of the goal which they were seeking. A map popped up, in three dimensions, displaying their situation in rendered detail, and showing their problems.  
"Wow, so this is us? Good, then Datamon is keeping Piximon in a cage of some sort right down that hallway." Tai pointed. "Let's go."  
"Wait for me!" Matt called as Tai charged off down the hallway.  
"And us!" Everybody else shouted, rushing after them.  
"Give me a moment guys." Izzy pleaded as he struggled to disconnect his laptop from the computer mainframe without causing undue problems. Meanwhile, as he fumbled with the computer cable, and as it seemed determined to snare him and snarl in the worst possible way, he struggled with a difficult concept. _Why is it, in the middle of an attack, the security center is unmanned?_  
"All right, now where?" Tai asked as he screeched to a halt, with the others almost running into him from behind, staring around quizzically at the bare metal walls that enclosed them. Instead of the promised cage and jail sequence everywhere they looked they were surrounded by bits of metal and machinery, looking, for all the world, like the reject pile in an automobile junkyard. Overhead, the lights buzzed erratically with the force of the last attack, causing an unpleasant buzzing sound, and an uneven, flickering, light.  
His answer came in the form of a metallic crunch, as the doorway behind him slammed shut, a huge slab of solid steel sealing them inside the artificial cavern. For a moment, nobody moved as the reverberations of that impact echoed and re-echoed inside the hallway, rattling loose components in the pieces of junk scattered around. Then, as one, they all turned around rapidly, spinning in circles in a vain attempt to find an exit.  
"It's a trap!" Joe howled.  
"Quick, we'll digivolve and blow our way out of here" Agumon began, but then the became aware of another sound, partially hidden in the echoes of their panic. Hissing, at first faint, but then increasingly loud, emerged from the cracks at the corner of the room they were now trapped in. Artfully concealed by the piled junk, pneumatic jets spewed forth a strange concoction of gases into the room, gases which quickly spread and enveloped everyone in a thick blanket of fog.  
Within seconds everybody was collapsed on the floor, unconscious and passed out, waiting for another to deal with them.  
After a few minutes there was a sucking sound, and the gases were quickly removed from the atmosphere, replaced with regular air. Ahead of them the door cracked open, and several sinister figures were revealed, marching in to take charge of the situation. A pair of Minotaurumon and a pair of Gorillamon quickly began to manhandle their charges outside into a waiting cart. Beside them, the small, metallic shape of Datamon moved steadily through the sudden mess on his floors, examining each body. At the end of his impromptu investigation, he stood up angrily.  
"The six Digimon are here, but there are only five humans! Where is the missing Digidestined!? Find them now!"  
  
Koushiro Izumi, known usually to his friends as Izzy huddled inside a storage cabinet, feeling alone and lost and useless, which meant that he was too miserable to worry a lot about being hungry, tired and thirsty. Fortunately, from the dust that was hovering everywhere this place had not been bothered in some time, so he felt fairly safe living here for the time being. This should not be confused into thinking that he felt safe, he just felt safer in here than he did out there.  
In here was someplace fairly big, a large room, gray to match the rest of this strange outpost's décor, and stacked with boxes and crates of different sizes and shapes in neat, orderly piles, each one decorated with a single attachment that appeared to be some sort of data storage device to mark them. Izzy had so far been unable to determine either what was inside of them, or exactly where he was, or what he should do next.  
All he did know was what had happened. When the doors slammed shut, he and his laptop were still on the wrong side, but everyone else was on the other side. At that point he had started banging on the doors, but loud sounds had warned him of the approach of others. Under the cover of the sudden confusion, he had managed to slip into a narrow side passage just in time to witness the arrival of the main force through another door. Identifying Datamon and the others, and realizing just how completely outmatched he was without Tentomon and the others, he had crept away, not wanting to be anywhere near when Datamon actually got around to counting his prisoners. Now, several corridors and empty rooms later, the panic instincts had been suppressed, and the normal guilt reflex was kicking in.  
"Why did I do that?" He asked himself, pounding one leg angrily. "I should have stayed and helped them. But I did the best I could, didn't I?"  
The crates and boxes steadfastly refused to give him an answer.  
"Okay, not a good time to panic Izzy. Take a few deep breaths and calm yourself, count to ten, do something to keep your cool." Izzy breathed in and out deeply five times before he felt calm enough to proceed to the next logical steps in the plan. "Now do something productive. What do you have to do? Right now, you have to hide. Have you done that?"  
This time, although silence reigned supreme, the enclosing walls of boxes and crates gave him a reassuring answer.  
"All right, so we've got that taken care of. Now for the next part, what else do you have to do? First keep alive and out of Datamon's clutches, then rescue your friends. Right? Right. That should cover everything. Now, how do we do that?"  
Nothing answered him.  
"Blast it Izumi!" Izzy slammed his fist down on the ground, almost hard enough to break bones. "You've got to have some idea, something, anythinggo see what you've got around you."  
He cautiously got up, ears alert to any sound. Before he even made it to the door, the sound of blowing air in the distance and the creaks of the compound sending his heart rate soaring and causing him to freeze in panicked terror three times. By the time he actually got to the door and cautiously pulled it open a single crack he was nearing collapse from the simple fear and the confusion of being alone, but there was nothing else to do, so he pulled the door open.  
On the other side was a very large room that looked very familiar to Izzy. Each wall was lined with huge cabinets with clear, plastic doors, each one filled with rows of shaped glass and plastic, glimmering in artificial light almost like the tinsel on a Christmas tree. Some of those containers were full and labeled, some were not. The middle of the room was filled with a variety of different machines and computers, some of which Izzy recognized as basic laboratory equipment, gleaming as if they had all been recently cleaned. Computers and monitoring devices beeped happily along their current path, as if they were waiting for something exciting to happen, erratically welcoming the observing eye and ear to examine their findings so far. Circuits hummed in the distance, beginning at a very low pitch and rising higher and higher as different devices engaged, and then falling off as they disengaged. There was nobody in sight, and from the state of the huge, solid-steel, double-barred doors, there was unlikely to be anybody there for a long time.  
"Hmmmit appears that Datamon is engaging in research of some sort, perhaps some basic fundamental science. It would appear not to be that complicated if I can recognize most of the machinery. Well, this appears to be a dull sort of laboratory, so I should be reasonably safe here, for the time being that is." Izzy wandered briefly through the machinery as if wondering what everything was doing, prodding and poking curiously through the mess of gear, as if another prod would reveal some previously hidden insight to the investigator. Finally, after a long time, he sat down and absently started downloading data of the local mainframe into his computer at a handy computer connection, first taking care to instigate a number of different methods for keeping his computer link untraceable.  
"Why am I sitting here?" he asked himself after a minute. "There's not much happening here, is there, or am I falling victim to my fear? That is an unpleasant possibility."  
Somewhere in the distance there was a faint clank as a machine turned over whatever it had been examining and then began to examine it from a different direction. A few beams of light from a laser apparatus hidden in the background played over the ceiling as if there was sunlight, shining through a spinning piece of glass.  
"I wish it were someone else here. Tai would have thought up a plan by now, and implemented it too. Matt wouldn't be sitting around like this, would he? Sora definitely would have weighed the options and been moving in an orderly fashion by now, and even Mimi would be doing something. Joe might have fallen down a few times, but he would have a trick or two up his sleeve to get himself out of this, wouldn't he? Here I sit, Izzy, the genius of the group, the guy who's always supposed to have our spare ace up his sleeve, and he has nothing.  
"I guess it's not my fault. What am I saying, it's all my fault? My friends are in danger and I'm too scared to go rescue them." Izzy regained his calm for a minute before beginning to argue with himself again.  
"So what can I rescue them with? What do I have, a useless crest, a laptop, and a D3 without a Digimon to make any use of. I don't have something like Courage to drive me forward, or Friendship to remind me of the bonds between us as friends. I don't have a strong crest like Matt, or Tai, or Sora, just little old Knowledge, and I don't really need to know how to reprogram my screensaver right now."  
Izzy sat a moment, staring at his computer, and laughed. "No, Izzy's just a fraud. He may look like he can come up with all the right things, you know how it goes, last minute directions and weaknesses spotted. But really, he's only Koushiro Izumi, that kid who sits in the front of class, his nose in a book, or worse, his nose in a computer screen. Let's face it Koushiro, every time that you help in battle, it's because you're sitting there with your stupid laptop open, scanning for data. Everyone else does the fighting, but not Izzy. He may sound cool, like a Digidestined, someone who gets in there and fights evil, but he's just a figment of my imagination. I'm just little Koushiro Izumi, the kid who gets perfect grades in class, and gets beaten up outside unless his friends are along."  
There was a moment of silence and then Izzy smashed his hand into the nearby counter. "No, I can't think like this. I'll find something. I have to. Everybody else is counting on me. Let's see what we've got here. Knowledge has to be useful for something."  
He walked around a little. He stared around until he got bored. He looked at the bottles. He read the labels on the bottles, on the jars and on the machines.  
He stopped in the middle of the room and thought for a moment, thinking so fast that you could almost watch the small, animal-like little thoughts bounce past his eyes, a surefire indication that somewhere, like a massive wildfire, the big thought was on its way. His lips moved soundlessly, as they struggled to keep up with the stream of images streaking past his eyes.  
Izzy straightened up after a moment. His lips were still moving, and his fingers acted like they were skimming a page of homework long since filed in memory. He walked over to the cabinets and the storage bins again, the reflection showing a slight trembling in his figure. He looked at the labels. He read the labels.  
Words were bubbling around in his brain, something like what might happen if a tiny tornado blitzkrieged its way through a dictionary, scattering words and names everywhere. Symbols and images, remembered from the past, darted hither and thither. Descriptions like Hydroflouric Acid, Hydrocloric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Liquid Nitrogen and Tri-Nitro-Toluene danced around in his head, zooming into his field of view and then out again. Sometimes they mixed together to form other words in his mind, words like _Poison Gas, Explosive _and_ Unstable, Etches Steel, _and_ Melts Through Almost Everything_. Ideas were whirring through his head at an accelerated rate.  
Horrible thoughts began to surface in his head. Thoughts that self-respecting, polite and mild-mannered Koushiro Izumi would have been shocked senseless at ever having. Words and Ideas began to mix, bouncing up and down and demanding to be heard as they collided with each other. New synthesis, ideas born from ideas, formed and bounced around vigorously, mostly having to do with melting things down and seventy-two different synonyms for the basic word _bang_. Everything suddenly began to look a lot more interesting.  
There was only one thing to say to that.  
"Prodigious." Izzy breathed out, in almost a reverent whisper.  
  
"I'm sorry I got us all trapped." Tai muttered, looking at his shoes.  
"Don't worry about it Tai, I probably would have done the same thing." Matt did not look much better, or much happier about the affair. The two were sitting in opposite jail cells, both of them bereft of Digimon and D3. From calling up and down the line they had been able to find their other Digimon and realized that Izzy was missing. Tentomon reported that Izzy had fallen behind them somewhere, and that the rest of them had left him out of the trap, meaning that he was still probably out there.  
"I hope Izzy is okay." Joe muttered to himself.  
"Don't worry Joe. Izzy will be fine." Mimi tried to assure him. Mimi and Sora were doing their best to cheer up Joe, while up the hall Gomamon and Gabumon were doing their best to help out Tentomon.  
"I hope he doesn't come looking for us." Joe looked up and down the hallway. It was bare metal as far as he could see in one direction, curving around out of sight. However, the clear electric fields (which, as Tai had discovered, gave them an awful shock), did not restrict their field of view very much, and in the other direction he could see the end of the sell block, with a pair of huge metal doors, looking like they were used in a blast pit, standing by to block the way. "I'm sure this is a trap. Any kind of tampering with this cell would probably set it off."  
"You're probably right Joe." Sora sighed. "I hope he doesn't come."  
"Come on, what kind of friend would I be if I did that?" There was a sudden blurring of shadows and then Izzy appeared, dropping own from a kind of catwalk above them onto the ground in the hallway. Everybody stared at him.  
"Izzy!" Joe hissed, recovering from the surprise first. "Didn't you hear what I just said? It's a trap. Get out of here!"  
"Sorry, I can't do that, but you're right, it probably is a trap. In fact, I bet that as soon as I mess with this circuit box here, the one that controls your doors, that will set off an alarm and guards will come pounding down the corridor. The door will also seal off automatically, to prevent us from making a run for it until all the guards are alerted." Izzy pointed to a gray box on the wall that was beeping and showing some lights. He reached into a backpack that now appeared to be bulging with stuff and pulled out a very strange looking piece of apparatus that looked just like he had stolen it from a chemistry lab. A flask of clear fluid had been attacked, by a hose made of rubber, to an improvised spigot that was now clamped shut. Izzy quickly braced the flask on a nearby shelf, and clamped the spigot to the box.  
"Izzy, what are you doing?" Tai yelled at him.  
"Watch and learn Tai. Watch and learn." Quickly, using a quick sucking from his mouth, like he was using a soda straw, he got the siphon going. "Ah, vacuum physics. It never ceases to amaze me."  
"Izzy!" Joe almost screamed.  
Izzy dropped into a position that they normally only used in school for their earthquake drills, holding his hands over the back of his head to protect his neck, and curling up into a ball, his back toward the entrance. The others all watched as the liquid worked its way through the hose and began its inexorable trek down to the end, to drip onto the box.  
"Uh, you might want to duck." Izzy suggested timidly, a second before the liquid began to drip on the box.   
Almost immediately, there was a sizzle as the liquid began to eat its way through the metal of the box, exposing the circuitry below as great, hissing globs of steam and particles better left unnamed floated upward. After a moment there was a wailing alarm, and the sudden pounding of heavy feet in a variety of different treads as the guards rushed toward the entrance to the cell block. A moment later there was a steady mechanical grinding noise as the doors moved to shut everyone inside. For a brief second there was the sound of mechanical confusion, as the doors encountered unexpected resistance before moving on. An observer would have noted that there was a large glass jar, expertly placed to get in the way exactly, sitting attached to the tracks of the door. They would have noticed, as the guards did as they rounded the corner, that the jar, which contained some sort of thick-looking liquid, would not delay the door at all, unless the liquid was as solid as a rock.  
The glass shattered. The Nitroglycerin got smashed.  
Among chemists, Nitroglycerin is one of the few distinct chemicals. Hardly any other substance has the effect of making an experienced chemist cry out the name of their deity of choice, and then hurl themselves out the second story window of their laboratory. For years people have known the truth. Nitroglycerin is easily excitable. It does not like being pushed. It does not like being swirled. It does not like being squeezed. And nobody likes an excited chemical. This is why chemists and engineers have developed a proper method, after much trial and error, of dealing with a shattered jar of Nitroglycerin falling toward the floor. This method involves not being in the same room as the event. If possible, you should even avoid being in the same building.  
Several things happened when the doors ground shut, shattering the glass and its liquid between them. Most of them could be described using either the words _Hot_, or _Loud_. Many of them could be described with both. This was quickly followed by a series of balls of fire, torn walls, burnt ceilings and generally rise in the unsanitary aspects of the general workplace. Mere moments later, this was followed by a massive crunch as one of the doors fell off its hinges.  
Tai, who, of course, had not ducked or sheltered his head, took a few moments to pick himself off the ground in the back of his cell. Outside Izzy was just rising from his sheltered position, looking a little scorched, and definitely a meter or so displaced from his original location. He shook himself a few times and tried to get the ashes off of his shirt, before giving up, shrugging and looking at the box on the wall. The air in front of him still flickered as the electric field held valiantly, imprisoning Tai within, but Izzy appeared unconcerned and merely started to fidget with the materials inside the box using a pair of thick gloves and something that looked like a pair of tweezers.  
"I'm glad they had gloves in my size." Izzy conversed amiably with himself as he set to work on the electronic circuitry that was currently imprisoning them. "I'm also glad that the circuits are so basic. However, anywhere you go, capacitors are capacitors, and hopefully, when I feed this back through the grounding shunt"  
There was a spark where he was working, and he jerked his fingers back to prevent it from catching them unawares. A moment later the walls echoed to a peculiar thud in the distance, as if an explosion had gone muffled by the walls surrounding it. In the door of the cell, the electric field winked a few times, and then went out with a sudden fizz.  
"Excellent." Izzy exclaimed brightly as they began to sneak out of their cells. "Now we better get going before we get in trouble or something. I would hate to get caught after spending so much effort to escape."  
"Right, so let's go." Joe pointed toward the doors.  
"No, they'll expect that." Izzy raised a cautionary finger, and then pointed it at a blank wall in the back of the cell that had housed Tai. "We would be safer going in there."  
"But that's just a jail cell." Tentomon exclaimed. "Izzy, I don't know what's come over you lately."  
"I'm not sure either, but it confuses me as well Tentomon. I hope somebody explains it to me someday." While he was speaking Izzy had reached into his backpack and pulled out another large flask, this one sealed with some sort of metal. The liquid inside was bubbly and hissing. For a moment Izzy stared at it and the wall, as if calculating something, and then turned around to the others. "The plan is, I throw this, and then we run as fast as we can to farthest away cell. Right guys?"  
Everyone backed up in answer.  
"All right then!" Izzy turned around and hurled the flask at the wall, and then was running before it hit. Everyone else followed him in a panic, until they managed to scatter into the jail cell that used to house Agumon and squat there in panic. For a moment nothing happened.  
"What was that?" Joe wanted to know as he got his breath back.  
"A rather peculiar acid I concocted. It has the interesting effect of being able to burn small holes through metal."  
"Small holes!" Agumon exclaimed. "But we need big holes!"  
"Right, but Datamon is tremendously space efficient. If his plumbing diagrams are correct, the amount I added should be enough to melt just a few holes and allow the acid to spread inside the wall, and make some corrosion dents in his plumbing."  
"That's it! You're going to give him a plumbing leak?" Tai demanded.  
"I hope so, you see, with the water pressure that he has, that might be enough to cut through a steel plate. And in addition, that acid I threw has another interesting property. You might have noticed that it bubbled and hissed, right? That's because it reacts violently with water, and it was reacting with the water in the air in the bottle."  
"How violently?" Matt was asking when another detonation rocked the cell corridor. This one was quieter than the first one, but it sent pieces of metal and debris flying everywhere, sending them bouncing back and forth like a pinball toward their end of the structure. There was also a steady hissing, like a pipe breaching steam, that gradually faded into a gentler rhythm.  
"Ah, the wonders of the Hydroxide ion!" Izzy exclaimed brightly. "Shall we go?"  
"Who are you, and what did you do with Izzy?" Joe asked after a stunned moment.  
  
"Which way?" Tai asked as he rounded the corner at speed.  
"I'm not sure, I didn't count on the feedback cutting out the power." Izzy yelled back. "The exit's sort of over that way, but I don't know how to get to it."  
Lilymon buzzed up beside them. "I can take care of any more doors." She volunteered.  
"Yeah, but I don't know how many more there are." Izzy returned, looking around. "It appears that the drop in water pressure has proven catastrophic to the coolant system for the main reactor, which has shut down the power grid everywhere. Nothing's going to blow up, but all of the doors will be shut, no matter where we go."  
A Gazimon popped out of a side corridor, but a single glance at the huge Greymon and Garurumon looking down at him, sent him running off in another direction. Ikkakumon and Tentomon were bringing up the rear, and Izzy was frantically trying to figure a way out of this mess. Everywhere doors were slammed shut, lights alternated from on to off with alarming speed, and smoke curled in from various different rooms.  
Izzy closed his eyes and tried to think back to his moment of inspiration when he had thought up this whole scheme. When he had thought of it, it was almost as if something had been whispering to him, telling him how to mix things together to get his intended result. His stint with the acid had been pure bravado, intellectually he was aware that no substance should be able to react like that, but his subconscious had been guiding him, and he had followed it unquestioningly. Now, he tried to sink down deeper, to relax himself and let the information flow into him.  
It was similar to sinking deep into a pool of warm water, feeling the heat come up through the body and into the heart, a relaxing warmth that filled every crevice, nook and cranny of the inner body before making its way to the top. Izzy drifted, half-submerged in a vast ocean of knowledge, the Net Ocean, picking up a few hints here, and a few hints there, and letting his instincts guide him carefully. For a moment the sounds of what was going on outside seemed to waver and fade away, and even the sensation of burning as his chest started to glow with the purple of his crest, became a distant sensation.  
"Tai, Sora, get down now!" Izzy screamed as he threw himself sideways onto the ground.  
Behind the two of them a wall exploded into fragments. Shapes formed in the swirling debris, large shapes heading their way, which quickly resolved into Digimon, big ones, two Gorillamon and two Devidramon, led by none other than Datamon himself, floating in midair, one small mechanical arm pointed right at them. Izzy could feel the deadly words of an attack begin in Datamon's mechanical mind, and he could see with his eyes that it was extremely probable that several of his friends, especially Tai and Sora would be wiped out in the first shot.  
His brain, seeing that the rest of him was temporarily distracted, reacted without giving him a chance to second guess its actions. One hand reached inside his sack and pulled out what looked like a heavy coffee thermos, the other hand wrenched off the cap. And, while everybody else was still trying to catch up to events, he tossed the entire container full of Liquid Nitrogen directly in Datamon's face.  
Datamon iced up almost as if he had been treated to a dip in a lake, and was now being subjected to below freezing temperatures. Every surface instantly seemed to crystallize, and within seconds he looked like nothing more than a strangely-shaped Christmas decoration. Then, while everybody watched they could see his eyes flash faster and faster, as he began to extricate himself.  
"Get them. Now!" Tai finally knew what to do. Greymon and Garurumon threw themselves on top of the Gorillamon, sending them all spinning and turning all over the floor. Ikkakumon leapt at one of the Devidramon, transforming himself into Zudomon halfway through his huge leap, and Lilymon bashed the other Devidramon straight through a wall, and then followed after.  
"Tentomon!"  
"Tentomon....digivolves to...Kabuterimon!"  
"Get ready, as soon as Datamon gets out of there, he's going to be angry!" Izzy warned.  
"Don't I know it. Let him be." Kabuterimon grumbled.  
"Be careful." Sora cautioned both of them.  
"Yeah, he is an Ultimate." Joe pointed out.  
"I know that." Izzy returned.  
The ice shattered. Shards of it flew through the air like daggers, and Izzy managed to duck just in time. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kabuterimon, swatted like a fly, slammed into the wall by the force of Datamon's emergence. Datamon focused on Izzy with real hate burning in his eyes, but Izzy ignored the emerging Ultimate, still buried in the flow of knowledge from the Net Ocean. When Izzy's eyes focused again, they blazed sudden fire at the furious Ultimate.  
"Horn Buster!" A bolt of golden energy tore through the rubble and slammed into Datamon full force. The small machine-like digimon suddenly screeched in agony, and then his body distorted in the fire that slowly reduced him to digital data. MegaKabuterimon smashed his way through the rubble, to kneel in front of them in an unspoken signal.  
"Everybody on!" Izzy yelled.  
"But we didn't get Piximon!" Tai protested.  
"I know, but I'll explain that on the way. We'll pick up Leomon and Ogremon on our way out. Now let's jet!"  
Tai looked at Izzy, but the newfound respect that Izzy had just earned himself caused him merely to shrug, and to mount the huge insect with the other digidestined just behind. Then, with a roar of fire, they were off, soaring through the sky.  
  
"So Piximon wasn't even there?" Leomon slammed a fist into his thigh.  
"Yes, it appears that they decided the risk of a rescue mission was too high." Izzy reported. "So they moved him out by air last night."  
"One lousy night." Matt muttered.  
"It's not actually that bad Matt." Izzy replied calmly. "From what I pulled out of the data banks it seems they sent him by a group of heavily armed but slow air transports. That means that MegaKabuterimon can catch up to them today, and we can hit them tomorrow."  
"So we still have a chance." Biyomon said quietly.  
"Of course." Izzy grinned, the exhiliration still sweeping through him.  
"Then let's do it." Tai pointed.  
"Onward!"  
  
  


To Be Continued...


	2. Amongst the Clouds

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Really (How many times have I said that?)  
A/N: Here's the next piece. It's a little awkward, so any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated. I'm still nervous that not everyone who had been following The Hammer Falls ended up here, so if you could drop me a review to let me know, that would be great. Thanks! Enjoy the show!  
-dA 

Episode XV  
Amongst the Clouds  
  


"How close are we?" Tai shouted into Izzy's ear, trying to make himself heard.  
"I'm not really sure!" Izzy yelled back. "They're going slow, and they might not be where I think they are."  
Both of them were yelling in order to make themselves overheard over the continued thunder of MegaKabuterimon's passage. Six humans, six rookies and two Champions hung to the outside of the giant red beetle as it shot over the ground at an altitude so high that they were passing above most of the clouds. The roar was a result of the hybrid Digimon's rocket-like exhaust that allowed him to move at such astonishing speeds, speeds that were sending Tai's hair all over the place, a sight that was, in itself, remarkable to behold.  
"I thought you knew where they were?" Tai shouted back.  
"I know about where they are. Just sit back and let me handle things, okay?" Izzy nearly screamed. "I can still barely hear you."  
Tai sat back and sighed. He disliked waiting, but nobody else seemed inclined to try to make themselves heard over the thunder of their passage, and he knew that no matter how many times he bugged Izzy, he could never force the red-haired Digidestined to do anything else than his best. Which is what Izzy was doing right then.  
Sora was sitting nearby, between him and Matt, watching the sunshine play on the gentle waters of a lake below them, while to the other side Joe and Mimi were actually sitting together, pointing wordlessly at different sights all around them. Their Digimon, mostly exhausted from the last fight, were lying around asleep. Ogremon was sharpening the spike in his huge club and Leomon was polishing his sword. Tai sighed once more and closed his eyes.  
He only opened them again when someone tapped him impatiently on the shoulder. Until then he had failed to realize just how completely exhausted he had been, and he jerked awake with a start, staring around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Izzy was there, and the noise of the passage had dimmed, in fact, the only noise was the noise of the wind rushing past them. Izzy appeared disturbed about something, and he raised a finger to his lips to caution silence, before pointing around. Tai glanced around and suddenly realized that everybody else was asleep, lying around trying to stay comfortable. Tai nodded, and Izzy gestured him over to the front of MegaKabuterimon.  
The view was incredible, huge mountains covered with lush green forests spread everywhere. Izzy, however, was concentrating only on a small gray point that was barely visible, inching along at an incredibly slow pace from here.  
"Tai, can you get me a picture of that with your goggles."  
Tai slipped them on quickly and magnified the image. When it appeared he raised both of his eyebrows in a gesture of surprise. A group of what looked like boats with wings were flying over the floor of a narrow, rocky canyon, their great bulk lending to their clumsy appearance.  
"That must be the convoy with Piximon. We've got to figure out how to hit them before they get too close to the Pinnacle." Izzy muttered.  
"Let's just hit them now!" Tai exclaimed excitedly, but Izzy waved him off.  
"Sorry, but we can't successfully achieve anything with a pre-emptive attack. MegaKabuterimon is just exhausted, and I don't know about the others. Besides, those things may look like they can do nothing, but they carry guns, and some Digimon for protection. I think we need to rest up, settle down for the night, and take them tomorrow. There's a valley we can use for a campsite up ahead, and I suggest we use it. We can ambush them tomorrow."  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Tai muttered rebelliously beneath his breath. He kept his gaze fixed on the distant figures until they disappeared beneath the tilting horizon.  
  
"You could have woken us up." Matt yawned. But he looked notably better, his eyes brighter, his gaze more fixed and more fierce after his nap. He did not look angry at all, only minorly irritated.  
"Well, I figured letting us rest was all for the best. Besides, I thought we might want to get rest while we could." Izzy told them.  
Tai and Joe had already left camp, going out to gather the evening's foraging, and Izzy and Sora were currently trying to arrange sleeping spaces. Mimi was picking up pieces of firewood, and Matt, who was still the designated cook, was resting up in preparation for his shift. Gabumon, Palmon and Biyomon were busy laying fuel in the firepit, small tinder mostly, and Tentomon was snoring off in the corner.  
"So, what's the plan?" Matt asked.  
"Don't look at me. Tai's the leader."  
"Tai may be the leader, but you're the one with the most knowledge. It seems that you have a pretty grasp on this stuff, so maybe you should be the one who's running this part of the show." Matt responded, rolling his eyes.  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I think Tai's a better choice for leading us. I have some ideas, but that's about all. All I really know is that whatever we do will have to be done in the sky. Maybe we can get another of our Digimon to go to Ultimate, but that's about all I think we can expect."  
"So, no ideas." Sora finished brushing up around the beds of soft branches and dried grasses and looked around. The valley was not small, in reality it was quite large. But since Izzy's scanners had revealed that it was empty of Digimon, it looked safe enough. Overhead the pinnacles and verdant slopes of mountains covered with trees and low scrubs rose to the heavens, but gently, not like the angry young mountains who showed their barren teeth to the world, but gentle and round, like waves in the sea. With their shelter it was quite pleasant in the valley, and everything remained calm and quiet, refusing to budge from its normal state.  
"I think you're just going to have to wait." Izzy replied, looking at the sky overhead. "I think you're just going to have to wait."  
  
"So what's got you so excited?" Tai wanted to know. "I saw you starting to read that stuff you got off of Datamon's mainframe. You looked like your eyes were going to blow up or something. What got you so excited?"  
"I think I know what this is all about." Izzy returned very calmly, and they all shot upright.  
"You do? What does that mean?" Tai demanded after a moment.  
"Well, I don't have the whole story. I don't have even half of it, but Datamon had extensive files on some parts of it, so I may know something about what's going on." Izzy tapped his laptop absently, searching for a good place to begin. "Remember when those guys who brought us here said something about a war?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, Datamon's data backs it up. Apparently by Digital World time it was a long time ago. And I mean a loooong time ago. So Datamon wasn't around, and neither were any of the other Digimon we've met. There wasn't that much data about it to tell the truth, only vague notes about various different points that I couldn't even understand. But it means there really was a war.  
"What was interesting is that Datamon had an ongoing project, to examine this particular aspect of the Digital World and see what its weaknesses and strengths were. And more important, to test its defenses. Agumon once told us that when Azulongmon gave up part of his power to help us, it weakened the defenses of the Digital World, but that's barely a consideration given what we're dealing with. Apparently there were many layers of defenses, but most of them were passive defenses."  
"Passive defenses? What are those?" Biyomon wanted to know.  
"Sort of like giant sized burglar alarms. Apparently there were mobile forces from some other authority who were supposed to intervene in case of trouble, and keep the evil from getting out of hand." Izzy tapped a few more keys on his computer.  
"So where are they? And where were they." Tai wanted to know. "We could really use their help about now."  
"Well, according to some of Datamon's notes, we are them. Apparently one of the programs seems designed to choose specific human beings who have the power to defeat evil and call them into the Digital World when there is danger of any sort. This seems to be the most effective part of the defenses. However, it also appears to be the one that is most hazardous to us.  
"But the powers of darkness aren't just coming from here. They really are from other worlds. Datamon's notes said something about how the forces of Light were being kept busy elsewhere, and I think that this might have something to do with that war. If everyone else is busy fighting somewhere else, they really can't spare much to help us here. It seems that it's up to us. The good news is that whatever the bad guys send at us is all they have. They don't have resources to spare either.  
"But what really bugs me is what Datamon wrote about the crests that we wear, that they are powered down versions of the weapons of the Light. I'm still trying to translate all his notes into some language that I can understand, but it seems that the forces of Light were engaged in some sort of experiment. They had the power to defeat evil, but there were too few of them, so they created a sort of copying program that would create copies of themselves. Not like clones, but copies of the power they used to fight against evil, and embed this in heroes who would be capable of fighting evil. If that's true, we were chosen for our affinity with our crests, which were designed as sort of an experiment to help fight against evil.  
"That might not seem so important now, but it could be vital later." Izzy finished and looked around very seriously. "If I can continue to look into the way the Digital World was established, and the notes that Datamon and I have both made about our crests I might be able to determine the true magnitude of the powers at our disposal. We were told all about how our power was incredible, but I believe that we may have only just begun tapping into its true extent."  
"If that's true does that mean that we'll all get stronger?" Agumon wanted to know.  
"I think so. That's why understanding is so important." Izzy responded. "I believe firmly that knowledge may be the key to victory."  
"You would." Tai responded, but he was smiling a little. "So what do we do tomorrow?"  
"That's up to all of us." Izzy told him. "Someone probably has a good idea."  
"Well, what do we know?" Matt asked.  
Joe let his brain drift off as Izzy and the rest argued over their predicament. Izzy's analysis and observation were, as usual, extraordinary. From brief observation he had determined the probable airspeed of the enemy flotilla. From that he could tell them where it would probably be the next day when they launched their attack, and what it would probably be doing. From there on it was a series of wild ideas as everyone tried to figure out ways to get the ships to land so that they could sneak aboard and get Piximon off. It was a while before Joe spoke the thought that was in his mind. "Why don't we just attack them in the air?"  
Everyone stared at him for a moment, and he rushed on before his idea could desert him. "We do have flying Digimon you know, and we do know how to use them. It might be easier to take them in their own territory than it would be to try and force them into ours."  
"That makes a lot of sense." Gabumon agreed.  
"So how do we do that?" Matt asked.  
"We do the same thing that we did with Etemon, we distract them while we really sneak in and seize Piximon and then get out of there." Izzy was staring out into space, his face thoughtful.  
"Okay, but how do we sneak in if they don't set down?" Agumon asked. "Some of us can't fly you know."  
"Well, Lilymon is a really small Ultimate, but she can carry at least three people and their Digimon for short distances. She might be small enough to sneak into one of those behicles." Mimi suggested.  
"And MegaKabuterimon is fast and big. He and I would make a perfect distraction." Izzy continued.  
"I can fly too." Biyomon reminded them.  
"Yes. I can see how this will work." Sora replied. "We can do this."  
"All right everyone" Matt and Tai leaned forward eagerly. "This is how we do it"  
  
"Doubts Sora?" Izzy asked quietly, startling the red-haired girl into jumping. As usual night watch was slow and boring, dull and quiet. Nothing was stirring in this little valley, except for the snores of some of the companions.  
"Some." She admitted as Izzy walked over and sat down beside her, smiling gently and absently unfolding his laptop.  
"Memories?" Izzy asked again, turning his head up to watch the stars.  
"Some." She admitted again, continuing to look at the stars.  
"I was thinking of that time before we went to get you back from Datamon. It seems so familiar now, so recent, and yet so long ago. We were different people in some ways, but in most we're still the same." Izzy breathed out and opened his eyes again, turning to look at Sora curiously. "How about you?"  
"Something like that. Like those moments when we were talking before I got caught by Datamon in the first place. Memories, worries, you know how it goes." Sora responded, reaching down with one hand, picking up a branch and carefully beginning to peel off its needles.  
"I wondered about that. Look, don't worry about it, I'm sure if we do our best it will go fine in the end. I'm sure of it."  
Sora sighed. "Why is it the only time we see beauty like this, the only time we appreciate it, is when we're off to destroy something?"  
Izzy could not answer that.  
Sora sat silent for a few moments before bringing up one of the issues that had been bothering her. "Izzy, I know this is odd, but could I ask you for some advice?"  
"Sure." Izzy did look surprised, but he quickly controlled himself.  
"It's about my personal life." Sora continued, being careful not to make eye contact.  
Izzy looked even more startled. Something akin to alarm seemed to be crossing his features. "You know, I'm really not somebody to ask about that"  
"I know. Which is why I'm asking you. Think about it, everyone else is just as confused as I am, or even more so. I think that you're good enough to look at a problem from outside as well as inside, so you might have some insight I don't. Some thought I might miss. I hope you do anyway."  
Izzy settled down for a moment, and Sora smiled inwardly at the amount of discomfort his body language was suddenly radiating. "Okay, shoot. But please not literally."  
Sora laughed at that just a little. "Okay, the question is this. What is love, and how much of it is there?"  
Izzy gulped most amusingly. He went red and pale at the same time. "UhI don't fully comprehend"  
"I've got this problem. You know about me and Matt, but I think that Tai also likes me, and I feel something for him too. Anyway, that's how it started, but every time I think that I can make a decision, I get the nerves. That fight's as old as our friendship, but I'm really worried about what I'm supposed to do next. I've been avoiding Matt and Tai both to some extent, but I can't keep that up without offending them. I was just wondering if you could see anything that I don't."  
"Hmmm" Izzy pretended to consider for a moment, but Sora could see that he was just relieved that the problem had nothing to do with himself directly. She felt a little guilty about frightening him like that, but she really did need some sort of help. "Well, I think the answer's obvious." Izzy stated after a moment, having regained his usual calm. "You're in love with both of them."  
"WHAT?!?" Sora had to muffle herself at the last moment to avoid waking everyone, but Izzy was already pressing on.  
"You see Sora, it's quite easy to understand. It's sort of like the way you love your parents and your family"  
"That's not what I was talking about at all" Sora interrupted, her own face heating, but Izzy simply smiled at her and raised a cautionary finger.  
"Don't they say that the more love you give, the more you have?" Izzy asked, and for some reason Sora couldn't bring herself to say anything about it.  
"Anyway, like I was saying, you have the crest of Love. You probably have, if not an endless supply of love, then a lot of it. You can give it out to people who you like, and who you fit in with. In some aspects I wouldn't be surprised if you felt in some way similar to the way you feel about Matt and Tai about the rest of us as well. You're a generous spirit, and you give out your gifts to the world as such."  
"You're making this out to be"  
"I'm not done yet. You see, you're having a problem because you're convinced that you have to make a choice now and eliminate one of them from your life. I think you're overlooking several important facts. First, that we should be friends for the rest of our lives. That seems to come first and foremost. Second, you don't have to make a choice now, and that means you have time to think.   
"Third, and most important, we're Digidestined. There are things higher than what most people consider love, than that foolish stuff that goes on back at school. Every time we go into danger for our world, we're already experiencing maturity and wisdom far beyond our years. I think that all that stuff we learn in Biology isn't as much linked with love as it is just thrown into the chemical mix. Since I understand biology very well, and don't understand love that well, I think that it has something else to do with how we view the world. I think that what we really want is to not have to go through the world alone.  
"If that's true, you don't really have to make a choice. They'll be jealous and unhappy for a while, but the truth is, that no matter who you choose, all three of you will be together forever in a very special way. You're friends and you've risked your lives for each other. That means more than any ring could ever mean.  
"In a way that's more important than any of those things you're probably thinking of. Love, given freely to everyone, can be the most important thing in the world. It keeps us together, and no matter what happens, you have to remember that you will never lose that bond."  
Sora nodded, but her mind was even more turbulent now. "Thanks Izzy."  
Izzy just smiled and moved quietly away.  
  
Joe peered through his glasses as if his squinting could make the image clearer. It did not work.  
"Izzy, this is Joe. I can see them, but not well. Ikkakumon and I can hit them from here." The blue haired boy whispered urgently into his D3.  
"Excellent. We'll wait until they get a bit closer." Izzy responded.  
"That's good, because at this range, all we'll do is hit the wrong places." Joe hissed back.  
Sora glanced up quickly from where she was hidden beside Joe, looking doubtfully at the blips above her that could barely be seen in the bright sunlight. At this range they looked more like distant dots or far away birds than the massive airships they actually were.  
"This is Tai on the covert approach." Another voice whispered through the D3s. "I see our entry point. It looks like some sort of door in the side of the main aircraft. Izzy, are you sure that's the one that Piximon is in?"  
"I'm as sure as I can get. I only got a few images of him before I had to shut down my laptop, but this new and improved Digimon scanner seems to work pretty well. I pinpointed his location before they detected my probing actions, but I'm wondering if that set off their alarms anyway."  
"Well, we'll just have to go with it. You cue the signal. Everything is in your hands now Izzy." Tai replied.  
"I understand. Just remember, once you're inside the airship, you're on your own guys. Good luck. Izzy out."  
Time passed with glacial slowness. One minute dripped by. Then another. Time fell slowly but inexorably, and, like watching water melt off the end of an icicle, Joe and Sora watched the dots grow larger in the sky, until they were clearly visible. Slowly as the spots grew into recognizable shapes the dread in the pits of their stomachs grew until it almost drowned out the panicked beating of their hearts. And then there was that last moment, the moment before action when everything stood still, and horror filled their hearts.  
"Showtime." Izzy muttered into through the communication circuits.  
"You're on Gomamon!" Joe howled.  
"Gomamondigivolves toIkkakumon!"  
"Harpoon Torpedo!" A series of green missiles rose into the air, speeding toward the cluster of airplanes. A moment later each craft was dotted with the sudden burst of smoke and flame from nearby explosions. One of the smaller craft smoldered as a wing was set aflame, circling to begin a barely-controlled crash landing, but the other four craft around the largest one sped off directly at them.  
"De-digivolving time!" Joe yelled, but before he could even finish the familiar light surrounded the white mammal and Gomamon resumed his rookie form. Then the two of them were out and racing toward where Sora was hiding in the rocks, shooting through the trees and diving into the narrow cave, racing toward the other end.  
Out of the corner of his eye Joe could catch a glimpse of Izzy, already entering a near-terminal dive. In the space of a few scant instants he went from being a dot in the sky, barely visible even if you knew what you were looking for, to a huge, diving insect-rider. MegaKabuterimon struck down like a thunderbolt, his Horn Buster blasting outwards and ripping another wing off of another airship in a fury of yellow energies. The blast seemed to momentarily stun the other airships, causing them to veer in all sorts of directions. By the time they turned back onto Izzy's tail MegaKabuterimon had fired another shot at yet another airship, blasting half of its tail off. The three damaged airships plunged downward in barely controlled falls, looking for some place to land, and definitely not worried about chasing anybody. Izzy took advantage of that to turn away and run for cover before the other two airships still in pursuit recovered from their surprise.  
There was a brief flicker of motion that suggested that Lilymon had completed, or at least begun her part of the mission before the sky was blotted out and the four of them were racing through a tunnel.  
  
Tai jumped through the door with Agumon right behind him, but there was nobody there to welcome them. Quickly, he waved Matt, Gabumon, Mimi and Lilymon through. This was the tricky part. The six of them would have to infiltrate a ship under attack and find Piximon. Worse, Lilymon was the only Digimon who could digivolve. In the narrow confines of the ship any of the others digivolving to their much larger states would cause what Izzy described as "aerodynamic inefficiencies" which, although they sounded mild enough, were probably catastrophic to send them all crashing into some nearby mountainside.  
"Nobody here." Tai jerked his head back around one more time before rushing down one corridor. Izzy had told them approximately where Piximon had been held, but he had not been able to provide them with any guide to get there. Now it was down to them and the maps they could get their D3s to display.  
"Good for us." Matt rounded a corner behind Tai and nearly crashed into a Bakemon who was edging his way out from one side corridor, not paying attention to where he was going. For a moment the ghost looked as flabbergasted as Matt, and then he reached out one black claw at the blonde Digidestined.  
"Blue Blaster!" Gabumon carefully blew the Bakemon away from his partner, and the blue flames quickly burned the ghost down into digital data.  
"Be more careful guys!" Mimi shrieked.  
"We're trying to be!" Tai yelled back. "But we have to get through all this before they figure out that we're here."  
Even as he spoke he was off and running again, with Agumon running right behind him trying to keep up with his longer-legged companion. Now there was the faint scream of alarms, and the corridors began to become obscure as smoke filtered in to the corridor from some damage somewhere.  
"It looks like Ikkakumon got a little piece of this thing after all." Gabumon was observing right as Matt shoved him against a wall. A group of rushing Mamemon zoomed by on a corridor directly ahead, apparently going elsewhere and missing the Digidestined altogether. They had barely gotten started moving again before being forced to dodge a contingent of Bakemon going in another direction.  
"This is getting us nowhere." Tai mumbled in frustration.  
"I think I can distract them." Lilymon sounded as if she was considering something.  
"Well, if you've got an idea, then now is a good time to say so." Tai yelled back, looking around for a plan of action.  
"If you really want. Flower Cannon!" the blast from her combined hands smashed a huge hole through the side of the wall. There was a continuing explosion reaching out for a while, and then a hole formed that Tai could easily have jumped through into another corridor, now also covered in smoke.  
"Why did you do that?" Matt screamed at the flower-like Digimon.  
"They'll think that they're still under attack from outside. It will confuse them for a while. C'mon, we better get going." Lilymon pointed in the general direction they had been headed.  
"Wonderful" Tai muttered. "Now I have a deranged flower along for the ride." But he started running anyway.  
It quickly became a tense set of moments. First they would run through one set of corridors, then another, then another. Everywhere there was the scream of sirens, the yell of panicked voices, and the steady screams of people in danger or in pain. Blinded, blundering Digimon would stagger out of the smoke-filled hallways, feeling their way blindly by the metal pipes on the walls, running into the surprised group only to be quickly dispatched by the kids' Digimon escorts. Sometimes other explosions would sound, muffled, through the thick layers of hull.  
Three times they ended up in a dead end, or facing a heavily populated section, and had to turn around. Tai was growing increasingly frustrated with the intricate design of the airship, and the fact that they were now hopelessly lost inside of it. Everyone was growing anxious. The time that they could remain undetected inside of the vessel was limited, and as the crew began to get their vessel under control, that time had shortened noticeably.   
  
Izzy spared a moment to look backwards over his shoulder to confirm the bad news that his laptop had already given him. There were still only two airships following him, but they were falling further and further behind with every moment. The real problem was that each of them had apparently been carrying three Kuwagamon, and now the massive flying insect Digimon were roaring right after him, tearing up the air. MegaKabuterimon was still faster, but he could not run too far from his friends, and sooner or later he was going to run out of power.  
One chance left. Izzy gulped. Academically, knowing that the time to take action was now did not make the choice and the decision any easier. For a moment fear clogged his mind and closed it off.   
_What the heck. I am a Digidestined_. The thought surfaced rebelliously, and made Izzy smile for a moment.  
"Turn around MegaKabuterimon. We might as well give them a real fight while we're at it."  
"Got it." The huge beetle jerked around, corkscrewing so wildly that for a moment it felt like Izzy was going to fall off. But the sudden change in tactics confused the Kuwagamon tremendously, and suddenly there were four of them instead of six, two of them falling downwards, crushed contemptuously from the sky by the passage of their larger adversary.   
Suddenly the airships were looming much larger in Izzy's vision, but he did not truly notice them, begin to intent on keeping to his seat. Sudden explosions from outlandish weapons dotted the skies, but it was apparent that the battle had, for a moment, become even more confusing.  
  
"I don't like this." Sora muttered, gripping Biyomon's feathers harder than she normally would have. "They're taking too long."  
"I don't like it either." Joe replied, "But I don't think that there's anything we can really do about it. Do you see another option."  
Something in her wanted to digivolve Biyomon into Birdramon and fly up there to the rescue of her friends, but she knew that this would accomplish nothing except for possibly their final destruction. As she wrestled with herself time continued passing, as it was wont to do.  
  
It was Matt who found Piximon, and it was entirely by accident.  
They had been darting through passageways, always trying to avoid the crew who were still darting around in every possible direction when Matt nearly ran into a bulkhead. Skidding to a stop, he caught a glance through a slit in a door of a familiar pink ball of fluff contained in some sort of flickering energy field.  
"Hey, it's Piximon." Matt almost shouted, changing the volume down to a hiss at the last instant.  
Immediately all six of them congregated around the door. Indeed, inside was Piximon, the pink Digimon seemingly petrified in a beam of coalesced purple energy projecting from a circular aperture in the floor. That was all they could see through the narrow slit, whether or not there were guards around but they had definitely found their goal.  
"So now what?" Matt asked quietly, trying to peer through the slit and see if there was anyone to the side.  
"Sooner of later we gotta go in there right?" Tai asked.  
"Right." Agumon responded firmly.  
"Right. So let's go now. On the count of three. Matt, you and Gabumon take the left. We'll handle the right. Mimi, it's up to you and Lilymon to get our friend out of there if you can. Try whatever you can think of. Let's go. Three. Two. One!"  
One of the keys of Tai's strategy was that he was simply giving the others no time to think, no time to worry about anything, and no time to lose their nerve. They simply reacted, and, at the count of three, smashed through the door in a sudden rush. Tai was already heading right, and ran almost immediately into a Bakemon. The ghost Digimon could normally have made a sandwich out of Tai, but the Digidestined had the advantage of surprise and a lot of forward momentum, which meant that his first punch was a lot more effective than it should have been. Another Bakemon behind the first gaped at them, but Agumon blasted him back into the wall. From the other direction there was enough sound from Matt to indicate that he had things well under control. For a moment Tai could get a sense of the room, a circular shaped room, with Piximon in the middle, and a whole mess of Bakemon surrounding the walls, monitoring a bunch of different control panels. Temporarily surprised, the white ghosts hovered there, not committing to a confrontation, still unable to piece together recent events, but they would recover soon. Even with Lilymon it looked like only seconds before they would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.  
"Flower Cannon!" The sudden blast of energy tore a deep gaping hole in the floor directly at the circular projector under Piximon. With a sudden crackle, the field of energy surrounding the pink Ultimate flickered and died, and Piximon was surrounded by a cloud of smoke from burned electronics.   
When the smoke cleared, Piximon was blinking his huge, pupil-less black eyes in confusion, and the Bakemon looked, if possible, even more startled than they had when the kids had blown in on them in the first place.  
"C'mon!" Tai yelled. "Piximon! Everyone! Time to go!"  
"Right!" Matt responded, heading for the door. They were all turning when a not-quite paralyzed Bakemon made a sudden leap at Piximon. The Ultimate, still confused by his confinement and his release, reacted out of instinct.  
"Pit Bomb!"  
The explosion ripped a huge hole in the side of the chamber, blasting apart metal parts and electronic components like feathers out of a ruptured pillow. Suddenly the sparks of electronic fires and the familiar smell of burning material began to fill the compartment, drowning everything in smoke. From further into the hole, where everything was obscured by smoke and dust, secondary explosions began to roll, beginning to deafen everyone.  
"Okay." Matt said quickly, looking back over his shoulder. "Now we're in trouble."  
  
Izzy only caught a glimpse of the initial explosion as MegaKabuterimon literally stood on his side to avoid incoming fire, twisting to force the shots to pass wide. The pair of experienced freedom fighters had managed to maneuver themselves into an advantageous position that prevented the Kuwagamon still in pursuit from using their primary attacks for fear of damaging the airship ahead. Blasts of fire passed down from the airships ahead were now less accurate, the vessels maneuvering themselves to prevent MegaKabuterimon from closing enough to damage them at point blank range.  
But, as the clouds of flame spewed from the stricken vessel, he spared it a single look to determine the depth of the trouble they had just landed themselves in.  
  
"That's not good." Gomamon observed.  
"You have a talent for understatement Gomamon." Sora shot back, trying to figure out what was going on.  
In effect, the airship was supposed to be a giant airplane, capable of coasting gently from point to point on the lift from its huge wings and with guidance from its rudder-like tail.  
Now, it was having some problems. First, the tail was missing, replaced by a giant gaping hole in the end of the airship, boiling smoke out in vast clouds that threatened to fill the sky, obscuring it completely. Second it seemed that without the tail fins to balance things the airship was too nose heavy, and it was spiraling down toward the ground.  
"They're going to crash!" Joe yelled, pointing unnecessarily at the fiery wreck transversing the sky above.  
"Not at that speed. They're going to splat." Gomamon replied.  
"That's not much help!" Sora snapped at the marine Digimon.  
"Sorry, but I don't have a single idea either."  
"Biyomon, it's time to Digivolve." Sora reached down and grabbed her D3 firmly.  
"Are you sure that's a good idea" Joe began, but the pink bird was already trying to get out of the immediate vicinity, to avoid knocking the others over in the transformation.  
"Biyomondigivolves toBirdramon."  
The huge orange bird, with Sora clinging to one leg, lifted off, soaring up higher and higher into the sky, trying to intercept the huge falling barge.  
  
"Can we get out?" Matt wanted to know.  
"I'm not sure." Lilymon was peering around, and Piximon, still recovering, was helping her. Their Ultimate-level senses allowed them to detect certain things that others could not, but it seemed to be of little help. All of them were mashed against the wall of a corridor by the force of gravity that had suddenly changed a flat floor into a tilting slide. Fortunately they were temporarily stable, but from the slant of their new trajectory, Tai was anything but reassured.  
"I can't remember how we got in!" Tai screamed at himself, pounding his knee with one fist while Mimi tried to calm him down.  
"It doesn't matter now." Piximon replied, his familiar voice returning them all to a measure of sanity. "Everything's gone topsy-turvy. We wouldn't even know up from down, or anything. It doesn't make sense anymore."  
"That does it." Agumon exclaimed. "We'll just have to blast our way out."  
"Nuh-uh." Lilymon replied. "Not until we're really desperate."  
"Why not?" The dinosaur wanted to know.  
"Think about it, this thing probably has fuel tanks somewhere near the center. Piximon probably triggered one of them to go off with his Pit Bomb. What happens if I blast my way through one of those?"  
"Oooohhhhnasty. I see your point." Agumon conceded.  
"Well, does anyone else have a better idea?" Matt demanded.  
"Let's stay calm. Judging from the tilt of the airship we are going down somehow. Now, if there's damage, that probably means that there is damage to the ship. So, if we go to the part sticking in the air, we might find the damage." Piximon sounded thoughtful, but he was speaking very fast. "Probably I blew a hole in the aircraft, but I think I was aiming toward the rear of the ship, so there should be a hole uphill."  
"Right. Uphill it is then." Tai tried to lead the way up the now slippery slope.  
  
"Sora, I don't think I'm strong enough to hold this. And I can't find them in there." Birdramon strained with beats of mighty wings trying to match the altitude of the toppling airship.   
"You'll just have to do your best. At least they aren't shooting at us anymore." Sora replied, her red hair whipping around her face.  
"They probably have other things on their mind." Birdramon responded.  
Sora had to admit to herself, as the massive airborne structure continued to topple down toward the ground, that her partner had a point. The vessel was huge, a mass of metal plates on a metal frame, kept aloft by vast and delicate aerodynamic systems. It must weight many tons, and Birdramon, even at her size, was unable to lift something of that particular magnitude.  
But she did not really have a choice, did she? She had the crest of Love, did she not? Her power came from loving others, from giving to them freely. Friendship, but deeper, more profound, from the heart, ever growing, ever increasing. She may not have been able to figure out whether or not she had a true love, but if she did they were probably aboard that falling fiery wreck.  
Suddenly what Izzy had meant to tell her through his confusing words snapped into clarity. She did not have to limit love to one person, she had enough love for her friends and family and all of those she cared about. She had love to spare to tell the truth, enough to give to everyone she wanted to survive. She loved all three of her human friends aboard that falling wreck, as well as their Digimon companions, and she could not afford to lose any of them. Her love was strong enough that it would drive her to save all three of them if she could, and to try as hard as she could if she could not. That was her power, to posses that strength that drove ordinary mortals to change the course of mighty rivers and alter destinies.  
Her chest flamed with brilliant red fire, an aura of light to match the strength pouring out from her heart like a torrential rain.  
"Birdramondigivolves to Garudamon!"  
For a moment Sora lost her tenuous grip and was falling, and then she grabbed on to the first thing she could, the massive feathered shoulder of her Ultimate companion, right above the massive flapping wings. Aerodynamics dictated that Garudamon had to fly at s bit of a slant, meaning that Sora could struggle upwards to her favorite resting point, right above the massive bird's shoulders. From there she could watch the land rip by underneath her, zooming past at incredible speeds.  
"Hang on!" Garudamon yelled, as her two arms reached out and grabbed on to the falling wreck.  
There was a titanic impact, and then the airship, struggling against Garudamon's huge muscles, actually slowed down and began to steady out, but only for a few moments.  
_Hurry you guys! Hurry!  
_  
"We'll never find our way out!" Tai screamed in frustration as they found yet another dead end. He pounded the wall next to a large window showing the ground beneath them approaching.  
There was a sudden jolt as the something happened to the airship, and the corridor tilted wildly, sending them all falling down, but Mimi's gaze never wavered.  
"What's wrong Mimi?" Lilymon asked.  
"We can't blow our way out because we might hit another fuel tank, right?" Mimi asked in a distant voice.  
"Yes." Her Digimon replied.  
"Well, that's a window. If you blow it out, you won't hit a fuel tank, will you?"  
Tai and Matt smacked themselves in the head.  
"Stand back! Flower Cannon!" The window exploded outward, sending shard of metal and glass arcing into nothingness.  
"Hang on everyone!" Agumon yelled unnecessarily as Lilymon grabbed them in a bear hug and threw herself out of the door.  
  
"They're out!" Garudamon's eyes matched those of the eagles and raptors from whom she took her shape, and even through the smoke and debris and flames, she could clearly make out the shapes soaring out from the sides of the ship. "And they've got Piximon."  
"Let it go." Sora commanded.  
Garudamon obediently dropped the ship and let it spiral to the ground, turning around and soaring onward against the buffeting winds.  
"Where are we going?" Sora asked, as the wreck exploded against the hard, unyielding rock of a nearby mountainside.  
"I thought we might want to save Izzy." Her companion remarked as they soared onward.  
  
Tai looked down at the exhausted, sleeping, Tentomon, and the pale, wan Izzy, as they lay on the ground. His eyes brushed over the tired but triumphant Sora and the newly released Piximon. Then they glanced up and zoomed in on a point nobody could see.  
"Daemon, we're coming for you."  
  



	3. Placing the Pieces

Disclaimer: Still don't own Digimon. Will not sell this work for money.  
Author's Note: This episode is also a little weak. It serves the purpose of introducing some things for later on, but mostly serves to bridge two different sections. I hope it works out, but if it doesn't, please review and blame me. Just as a side note to respond to a review I'm moving out of the section where people spend their time getting their crests to glow. Tai and Matt will recieve their epiphanies along with everyone else, but I have to build up to it first. I am in for the long haul, so everything is nice and spaced out. Thanks, and don't forget to review.   
  


**Episode XVI**  
**Placing the Pieces**  
  


"Ground. I like the ground." TK mumbled almost inaudibly.  
"What was that?" Ken asked brightly from where he was standing, behind where TK was lying face-down on the ground.  
TK forced himself up on shaking elbows. His face was quivering and his arms were not exactly supporting him. "I was just saying how I like the ground. I must. Every time I get up I go back down."  
"Oh c'mon. It isn't that bad. Is it?" Ken asked innocently.  
"Out of shape my eye. If this is out of shape, I never want to even glimpse in shape." TK managed to straighten himself up again, and put his hands up in some position that might have blocked something. "Okay. Give it to me again, and this time I'll try to see it coming."  
"I'll go slower." Ken promised, smiling.  
It had all started with Ken's observation, backed up by Yolei, that Digimon seemed to grow stronger the more experience and practice they had at fighting. Davis had thought that he was already partnered with a lean, fighting machine, but was quickly disabused of the notion by Ken and Gatomon. So at first Ken had suggested that they hold a training session for their Digimon. Then TK and Kari had noted that Digimon and their partners seemed to improve at the same time. Then Ken had thought about strengthening the Digidestined as well as their Digimon. Then Davis had suggested a joint training session with humans and Digimon, "just like soccer camp". Then it had started.  
Then TK had hit the ground for the seventh time.  
"This time watch my feet more. I'm not bigger than you or anything, so the only reason that I can throw you around is that I'm using my body weight better than you are. That means that to really get some power out I have to rotate my lower body around." Ken moved a bit to demonstrate the difference between hitting somebody with an arm and hitting them with an entire body.  
"I think I'm getting better." TK responded shakily, still trying to make the world stop spinning a little.  
"Good. Let's go."  
Ken and TK had managed to occupy the area in the center of a green meadow surrounded by concealing trees. The ground was at least soft, which was keeping TK from getting too injured. Off in the distance they could hear Davis and Cody going at it, Cody's level head keeping Davis' exuberance from making too many mistakes. Every once in a while there was a crack as someone got a little too enthusiastic and legs and arms smashed together. Yolei and Kari had no teacher who was experienced, so they were just warming up, stretching out, and practicing little moves on each other which made them both giggle. Mostly they were standing there looking up, something TK was purposefully avoiding.  
The struggles that the humans were doing was easily overshadowed by what was happening overhead. Patamon was a little awkward as a fighter, his rounded body and large wings proving not much of an advantage. But Angemon was bigger, much more agile, and a lot more powerful. Angewomon was stronger, but had a slightly different technique. Their equal stature meant that they could learn techniques from each other better than they could from the others, so they ended up as natural sparring partners. Now they were fighting above the digidestined's heads, a soaring mass of wings and legs and arms, flickering out in deadly blows, never quite connecting. A staccato beat of blows, sounding like machine gun fire, rattled through the upper branches as they struck each other. Most of the time the human dimensions and shape of the angel Digimon fooled the others, seeming to make them almost human themselves. It was only now that they were disabused. The two angels were moving much faster than any other human could have moved, shooting back and forth like hummingbirds on the wing, barely flickering through a physical location before occupying some other space. No human eye could possibly have matched the speeds that they were moving now.  
Ken came forward again, and then everything in TK's field of vision narrowed into a blur of hands and feet. He managed to keep Ken away for a few moments before he slipped up and let an arm end up in the wrong place, something which the black-clad teenager took advantage of by flipping TK onto his back with a satisfying thunk.  
"They haven't gone this fast before, have they?" Ken asked after a moment, letting TK get his breath back.  
"No, I think it has something to do with the practice they've had recently. They get stronger the stronger and more confident we get, and also with more experience. Angewomon never got this fast against any of us before, and Angemon really hasn't had any fight where he needed to do this. They're just getting stronger."  
"Just like you." Ken noted.  
"Hah. Not that much." TK managed to stagger semi-upright.  
"That's not true. You're picking it up fast. It must have been the Asrana'Dactal and all that other stuff. I don't even have to hold back on you any more. It will take a year or two before you can really catch up, but that's just experience, and given how things go around here, it might take less than that." Ken looked thoughtful. "Soon you'll be the strongest of us all."  
"Maybe then I can keep Matt from playing jokes on me." TK shook his head to clear it again and started to stand up.  
"Take a break TK. I'll go see how the girls are doing. And whether or not Davis is still alive."  
From higher above TK's head a thunderous crack reverberate. Peering up the blonde haired boy could make out the forms of ExVeemon and Stingmon staggering aside from where they had just collided. ExVeemon had faster close-in attacks and a long range attack, but Stingmon seemed to be faster, and that was keeping their duel even for the moment. Aquilamon was racing circles carrying huge rocks in his claws, and Ankylomon was busy trying to build a cave in a nearby rock pile with his huge tail. Everyone was working on getting themselves stronger.  
Now if only it would be enough.  
A familiar scent enveloped TK, and a moment later a familiar pair of arms draped themselves around his neck as a friendly presence sat down next to him.  
"I see Ken left you intact." Kari smiled at him, an expression that he had no choice but to return, no matter how battered he felt.  
"I think I'm still breathing." TK returned, squeezing her hand gently and appreciatively.   
"Good. I'd hate to lose you." Kari squeezed back.  
"Ahem." Ken coughed from behind them. "Before you two get started again, I'd like to take Kari and Yolei through a few exercises. TK, take a nap. You'll need it later."  
"What did I do to earn this?" TK muttered as Kari disengaged herself and walked over to where Ken was standing. Inside though he already knew the answer. Ken and Davis were too close and too unpredictable. Ken would be stuck teaching either TK or Davis, since Cody really did not need the help, Yolei made him nervous and Kari had a completely different disposition. Ken and Davis had enough problems being best friends and complete opposites at the same time that they did not need the added problem of fighting each other physically. That left him with Ken, which meant that TK was the one spending a lot of time on the ground.  
He knew it was uncharitable but he hoped that Kari got a good workout too. That way he would be able to avoid feeling completely helpless around her due to exhaustion. From where he sat it certainly looked as if Ken intended to give the two girls a good run through. If he spent more time trying to avoid Yolei's gaze than working with her, well, that was perfectly understandable.  
There was a thud beside him as Angemon crashed heavily to the ground, still upright, but not by much. From the droop of his wings and the slant of his heaving chest, he was obviously close to exhaustion. For a moment he stood there, trying to gain his breath, and then there was a shimmer of golden light as he de-digivolved back into Patamon again.  
"Hey Pata, what's up?" TK asked tiredly, one sufferer to another.  
"I don't think I can move." Patamon responded, remaining limp on the ground.  
Gatomon managed to de-digivolve in the air and jump back to the ground, but even the normally acrobatic feline was having problems, and her landing sent her sprawling over the soft ground and plowing into TK.  
"Why don't you two take a rest for now." TK suggested, gathering them both in his arms."  
"Sure." Gatomon muttered sleepily. "Don't mind if I do."  
TK watched the two of them fall asleep slowly before Ken's entirely too cheerful voice broke his reverie.   
"TK!" Ken was calling. "C'mon, you're back on."  
"Wonderful." TK muttered. "Why do I get to be so lucky?"  
  
"Daemon is strong, incredibly strong." Piximon began, sitting cheerfully on Mimi's shoulder, absently swinging his spear back and forth. "I don't know how strong."  
"How did he get so strong?" Matt wanted to know.  
"Well, all Megas are about equal. Even though some of them are better fighters, others have other skills. All in all everything seems to balance out. Some Digimon get stronger through improvement methods, training, learning, studying, practice, you know how it goes. Some gain power by aligning themselves with powers beyond their own. I think that Daemon is one of those."  
"So he has an agreement with the dark powers?" Izzy suggested.  
"I think that's the case. If this is true we don't know how powerful he could truly be now. That seems worrisome to me." Piximon fluttered up and commenced the airborne equivalent of pacing.  
"Hmmm.that would explain how he got out of the Dark Ocean. We thought it would hold him for a long time, but if he made a deal with the ones in control they might have let him out to do their bidding." Izzy did not look particularly pleased by this discovery, regardless of its actual significance.   
"Of course he might not have gotten too much power." Sora continued, trying to brighten everything up. "He might have been so desperate that he agreed to anything they wanted if they would only let him out."  
"We can hope." Joe muttered, but he failed to sound confident.  
"Oh stop being so depressing Joe." Mimi smacked him on the shoulder.  
"I'm not depressed, I'm just being"  
"practical." Everyone else finished.  
"Well I am." Joe huffed defensively.  
"Well, we're not winning anything sitting around here waiting. I vote we get down to business." Tai said, trying to get everyone back on track.  
"Right. We have to go after Daemon, no matter how powerful he is. So what we need is a plan." Agumon perked up at Tai's new enthusiasm.  
  
"We need a plan." Ken started the conversation off while everyone was trying to recover.  
"Rightplan." TK agreed absently, trying to make the ringing in his head stop. Ken had caught him a good hit in the end right on the jaw. The advantage to this was that Kari was busy holding on to him, which gave him something else to think about beside when the room was actually going to stop spinning.  
"You're up Davis." Cody muttered after a moment.  
"Huh?" Davis responded, rubbing his shin. Apparently "training" had not really agreed with him either.  
"You're the leader." Cody reminded him.  
"Oh, right, so what can we do? I mean, what choices do we have? We go after Khartan, right? He's in charge of this place."  
"We should be strong enough to handle him." Veemon put on a muscle show for all of them.  
"I'm not so sure about that." Cody cautioned them. "Remember Reaver was working for him, not the other way around. I'm just afraid that he might be even stronger than Reaver was, and it took all we had and more to beat him."  
"Well, what other options do we have?" Davis demanded.  
"We could wait for the others. They should be coming through soon, and they could probably help us a lot." Gatomon suggested, prying her head off of Kari's lap.  
"Oh, sit around and wait. That'll do a lot of good." Davis grumbled.  
"Well, we don't have much of an option otherwise. Khartan would probably slice and dice us like a salad." Kari returned.  
"Which he's going to do anyway if we just sit down. I want a shot at him." Davis stood up heatedly. TK groaned at a sudden guess where this was going.  
"Maybe it would be better to delay until we're stronger." Cody suggested, but quieted under Davis' furious glare.  
"All right, that's enough." Ken normally had a difficult time raising his voice, but the merest increase in volume was enough to shut the rest of them up. "We're not getting anywhere but backwards with everybody fighting each other. We need a solid plan."  
"All right." TK took advantage of the sudden silence that Ken's outburst created. "We know that sooner or later we're going to have to go after Khartan, and we may have to prepare for the worst. I know the other guys will do their best, but there's no guarantee that they'll actually be able to break through to us. In fact, we might have to go rescue them. So we need to know, what are our options?"  
"Well, we could keep training here and hiding and making ourselves stronger." Ken counted that option off on his fingers.  
"Not possible." Yolei shook her head, lavender hair flying everywhere. "We can't hide forever, and TK may be right. We may need to help the other kids help us. We need that gate."  
"Second, we could storm Khartan's fortress." Ken counted that finger too.  
"No way." Kari and Gatomon shook their heads at the same time, temporarily dislodging TK. "He may be way to powerful to just hit head on, we need to find another way."  
"If there is one." Veemon muttered darkly. Wormmon just stared at him meaningfully.  
"Third." Ken held up one last finger. "We can see what we can do to undermine him without actually attacking him planless."  
"So how do we do that?" Davis asked, sounding more curious than upset now.  
"It's rather simple. All of our information, including that we got from neighboring friendly Digimon, seems to indicate that Khartan does not wield direct power over everything." Ken tapped a point on his scanner screen, and a familiar figure appeared in the corner. "It seems that MachineDramon runs this place in Khartan's stead, meaning that he might be temporarily in control. If this is true we could strike a blow against our adversary by hitting his lieutenant, not by attacking him ourselves."  
"That actually sounds like a good plan." Yolei admitted cautiously. "After all, three Ultimates almost took out BlackWarGreymon. Now we have four more experienced ones even if Patamon can't digivolve twice. Even more, Angemon can count as one as well, and we're all a lot more experienced than we used to be."  
"I like it." Davis admitted. "It shows that Khartan guy that we're not too afraid to fight back, but it doesn't trap us into anything solid yet."  
"That's good. We can go kick MachineDramon around like a tin can, and then hold a party afterwards." Veemon jumped up on Davis' shoulders and did another TV wrestling pose, which almost made Patamon fall off of TK's hat.  
"Is everyone agreed?" Ken asked. A wave of nods confirmed their opinion.  
"All right." Davis stood up, shaking some dirt off his jacket and upsetting Veemon. "Let's get down to the dirty business of planning this."  
  
"So we agree, we have to go after Daemon?" Joe asked, sounding a bit nervous.  
There were worried and nervous looks all over to match, but all twelve of them, plus Piximon, Leomon and Ogremon nodded solemnly and quietly, confirming the group's dedication.  
"We really don't have a choice." Sora admitted. "He's got to go down if we want a single opportunity to get to that gate."  
"I agree." Tai sounded like he had all those years ago, ready to run into the teeth of danger. "We've got to take that guy down. Our friends are in danger, and the longer we wait here to save them, the less chance we have."  
"Put like that, we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Joe sighed.  
"Well, the least we can do is come up with a plan." Izzy pointed out after a few moments.  
"We don't know that much about Daemon. We have no spies in his kingdom or anything like that." Leomon admitted a little uncomfortably. "There are enough evil Digimon that he has an ample army and castle staff, and it's hard to impersonate one of them."  
"It doesn't matter." Tai put his fist down both dramatically and finally. "We go after the bastard with everything we've got."  
"I have to agree." Matt repeated.  
"The question is how?" Gomamon put forward.  
"We'll have to see when we get there." Tai finished the conversation firmly.  
  
"So how do we get there?" Ken was paying little attention to TK, but he at least heard that question clearly. The two of them were sitting down, letting the rays of the setting sun, tilting toward the mountains below warm them, smoothing out kinked muscles.  
"I don't know." Ken responded simply. "I barely know where it is."  
"So that's why you sent Hawkmon and Patamon off to look around?" TK stared at the sky and wondered how his absent partner was doing. "I hope they haven't run into any trouble."  
"I'm sure they haven't. They're hard to spot, much harder than we are to see. They'll be fine."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah."  
"Something's bothering you Ken." Kari lifted her head off of the ground where she had been resting it. "I don't know what, or why, but something's bothering you, isn't it? Can you tell us?"  
"Hmmmit appears that Koushiro is correct in his little theory. I'll have to congratulate him someday." Ken smiled to himself as he thought about his red haired friend.  
"Which theory is that?" TK asked.  
"Oh Izzy has many theories, but the one I was speaking of was about Kari there."  
Kari shot bolt upright. "Izzy has theories about me?"  
"Oh, loads of them. You seem to be one of his favorite subjects." Ken grinned evilly at the sudden discomfort of both TK and Kari. "Actually, I'm lying. He has a whole bunch of theories about the digidestined as a whole, and only a few of them involve you in particular."  
"So, could you be a little more specific?" Kari asked with some asperity.  
"Well, yes" Ken trailed off for a moment, and then smiled at them. "It has to do with Izzy's prejudice."  
"Prejudice?"  
"Well, yesbut not in the way that you're thinking. Izzy believes that conscious thought is the basis of what we call good, and that what we call good is defined in terms of that. His theory was that Light may be the ultimate expression of that, so that the one who bore the crest of Light might have some abilities to tune into thought. That if you took apart the heart of the Light you would find positive thoughts in there. He attributed your occasional bouts of extraordinary perception to that particular trait."  
"I see, but that doesn't solve the original question, does it?" Kari, completely oblivious to the fact that TK was no longer paying attention to them, or to anything for that matter.  
"Well, I was just thinking about the way our Digimon have improved." Ken looked up at the sky again. "I mean, Izzy was right about a few things, and one of them is that Digimon, as a whole, tend to be a little stupid. Not that they're not smart in most respects, but when confronted with battle they just tend to throw force against force. No guile, no strategy, no anything."  
"I guess you're right." Kari heard the thunderous crashes of the Dark Masters attacking in her mind, the crackle of Myotismon in the background. "But what does this have to do with anything?"  
"A few weeks after we defeated MaloMyotismon, I found Izzy beating himself up mentally in the computer lab. It seems he was reflecting on how stupid we had been. After all our Digimon were supposed to protect the Digital World, so why didn't we actually train them to do so? In a very real way we let them run into battle without getting any practice at all. He wanted to know why we didn't train them. Sitting here, I'm forced to agree with him. Our Digimon improve so fast with training it's almost unbelievable. Either they hit a wall soon, and progress slows to a crawl, or we're going to, each and every one of us, be Omnimon level powerful."  
"That makes sense I guess. They have tremendous abilities when it comes to fighting, but they never do it in their free time." Kari suddenly noticed TK's strained expression. "What is it TK?"  
TK sat there woodenly, his eyes looking somewhere else, fixed beyond the distant horizon, waiting for something out there to change and make sense.  
"TK?" Ken waved a hand in front of TK's eyes but his pupils didn't even more. Both of the watchers grew a little alarmed, and shook TK slightly.  
"I think..." He began slowly, "I think that something's wrong."  
  
TK blinked. A moment ago he had been standing with his friends, but now he was on a barren rock shelf. Two powerful digimon stood around a tall, bent figure. TK reached out to the figure, whose back was to him, and felt his hand pass right through.  
"A memory." TK whispered, remembering a similar journey so many years ago. "I'm in a memory. Why?"  
For a moment he peered over the man's shoulder to see what he was looking at and then he stumbled away, retching. There, lying in the grass, were the remains of a young woman, her guts scattered around the ground, her entire face melted away. TK clutched at his stomach, rapidly turning another shade, another color entirely.  
To take his mind off this he looked around, taking a brief glance at the two digimon, one a huge Phoenix, towering over him, wreathed in red flames. The other was a huge two-headed tortoise, a giant forest growing from its back. Both of them were looking straight ahead, ignoring TK and somehow giving every sign of ignoring the body at TK's feet.  
The man looked up, standing taller and TK gasped in sudden recognition. It was Gennai, younger, bloodstained, with a look in his eye that TK had never seen before, had only seen before in the eyes of his nightmares, so very long ago. It was a simple look that promised death to any that crossed it. Even Myostismon and Piedmon would have fled that glare, that all penetrating assault. Gennai was beyond words, beyond reason. TK could feel his anger, boiling through the ground. And then sudden realization hit him, he could feel Gennai's anger through the ground because the ground itself was actually trembling!  
Then another memory caught up with him, where he had seen those digimon before. Brief images of his time spent in the Heart of the World caught up with him. These were two of the Guardian digimon of the Digital World itself. That explained their magnificent aura, their raw power that flowed over them. In truth they were stronger than any Mega that Takeru had ever seen, except possibly Omnimon and Seraphimon and ImperialDramon Paladin Mode. Magnificence was written in every line of their faces, in every feather on the Phoenix, in every leaf on the trees of the other.  
Then Gennai spoke. It was not the speech of a creature still possessed of reason, of a creature with the strength of the mind still intact in him. It was the speech of a madman, of a creature of vengeance. TK held his head and screamed.  
  
"Takeru, Takeru, you've got to get rid of it. You have to have control." The boy was screaming at him, screaming loud, but TK could not hear, could not hear anything except the voices.  
"TK!" That voice broke through, resonating in his head like the impact of an avalanche. "The Heart is unstable right now. You have to shut it out. Have to shut out its power. You have to focus. Your friends need you."  
"So beautiful"  
"Focus TK! Focus!"  
The little trickle of Light that had been flooding his body, a mere whisper of the whole suddenly erupted into a knowable form inside of him.  
  
_He couldn't control it!_ That was TK's first panicked thought as the unknowable became knowable within him. He screamed a few times for good measure before he was able to reassert control over himself enough to think rationally. He was falling, falling through the images of the Heart of the World, their faintest lights touching him, briefly illuminating worlds that passed him by, vanishing even as he looked at them, transforming to dust in front of his eyes.  
It hurt. His eyes threatened to blast out of his head with the pain, but slowly, carefully, he was able to focus through it. The power whispered secrets to him, quietly, beneath the breath of its torrential winds the power whispered to him, telling him its secrets, telling him of its greatest trials and travails. TK tried to shut it out, but the power was so much greater than he was that he was simply having no effect.  
He was not able to control the power. All he could do was watch as it controlled him. He closed his eyes again.  
  
And then he was in another place. Four glowing forms were there, and he knew them instantly, Power, Justice, Light, Hope. They stood facing an evil so monstrous that it defied description. A nation, a world so soaked in evil that it made the dark ocean seem positively pale in comparison. An otherworldly dimension of such power that it threatened to overwhelm all that stood in its way. But now these four had come, fire and light swirling at their feet in waves of silver and gold, to end its reign of terror.  
TK knew what was going to happen even as he saw the tears on the faces of the four facing evil, saw the sorrow of the champions of the Light, and saw their unalterable resolve. He knew what was going to happen the moment they raised their hands in concert. He knew intellectually, but no thought, no memory, no lesson in school could ever have prepared him for this one moment.  
Eight hands met in a circle of power, a blaze of solar fire. Higher and higher they soared suddenly, shooting upwards, the sky parting before them until the last veil of darkness had lifted and they were consorting with the light of the eternal stars. The circle of power grew brighter and brighter, until the darkened world beneath began to shudder, began to tremble in fear. TK could feel minor earthquakes begin, could feel people stop manning the engines of war, and look skyward in terror.  
Light glimmered first. Her eyes became stars and the white light, pure like mountain air, burned down her hands into the circle, illuminating it in light. It was the light of the pure stars that glimmered around them. Power was next, and his fire was greater somehow, burning crimson and sapphire in waves, illuminating the world beneath. He smiled as he did so, but his smile was tinged with sadness.  
Then Hope began to shine and TK felt all that power drain out of him with a suddenness that left him shuddering in the cold. It had been incredible to posses that power, but now, compared to the golden fire that Hope was adding to the circle, it was nothing, nothing at all. He suddenly realized how much power he could have been dealing with, how close he had come to complete destruction. But his mind was still focused on the power of the circle as it glowed ever brighter and brighter.  
_Many titles bears Justice._ The voice whispered in his mind. _He is the Judge of Kings, He is the Vengeance of the Oppressed, the Shield of the Innocent...  
_ Light gathers on an outstretched hand. Below the light has begun to shine through the eternal darkness that shrouds a world in deepest mourning.  
_Bane of Empires.  
_ There is a moment when Takeru Takaishi can feel the concentrated power of all the beings who bear the mark of Hope gathering, all the power of the vast circle of the Light concentrated down on that one star, resting on Justice's hand.  
_Shatterer of Worlds.  
_ Light flares. There is an explosion, the universe trembles. Vast powers beyond anything TK has ever seen before flare to life, brought to life through the crests to deny what they represent. Below a world shudders and screams in torment as the waves of unalterable force tear through it. And then, with an explosion like a supernova, the world of darkness is gone.  
And then he is falling, falling forever into Light.  
  
  
  
"I can't do it. I can't control it." TK was sobbing. "Can't do it."  
"Don't worry Takeru. You don't have to. Not now. That's why we took it from you." The voice is familiar and quiet, but TK does not recognize it for a moment, until he sits up to look into the eyes of the one who has come to see him.  
Gennai has grown older and wiser it seems, in the time since TK has last seen him. Maybe it is just his eyes, glowing with a sorrow as ancient as he must be, but at the same time new and fresh in his mind.  
"What happened?" TK can hear Kari asking questions in the corner of his mind, but Gennai's eyes still occupy most of his vision.  
"You collapsed on us TK." Ken reported, also out of the corner of his mind, but Gennai's eyes are all the answer that TK needs.  
"You have seen the ultimate expression of the power of Justice. You have seen the final use for the power of your crest, for all the greater seals. It is the right of Justice to judge, to judge people, to judge families, to judge armies and to judge nations. And it is the sole right of his crest to let him judge worlds. And now you know why. The power he must summon to do it is beyond anything that we have known before. But it can be done."  
"I can't control it again." TK replied very quietly, staring at the ground.  
"We do not ask you to." Gennai smiled again, but his smile was tinged with sadness. "The power comes at great need, and it does not fade easily, but should you call it when you are not at peace, when you are not ready to use it, then you will pay the penalty and you will fall before the almighty rush that threatens to consume all of us. Only when you are ready will the true power of the Heart of the World respond to your call."  
"How did he do it?" TK asked after a moment.  
"Gravitational singularity." Gennai's voice changes from calm and comforting to clinical, scientific. "A single change in the nature of local spacetime creates massive gravitational waves, enough power to rip a world apart from the inside out. The explosion you saw was the energy of the interior of the world dissipating through the shattered outer layers. It takes tremendous energy to create a gravitational disturbance of that level, but it can be done at great need."  
"And why was I involved?"  
"Because the power draw involved everybody who bears the mark of that crest. All who are tied to the greater seals felt that rush of power. It is how we gather the strength to defeat an enemy such as that, how we develop our weapons to the ultimate extreme. You were dragged along with it, and you were forced to utilize the greatest amount of power that you could draw upon and remain sane. It was an unpleasant necessity, and I wish it had been easier for you to see."  
"I can see why you don't use this much." TK muttered, sitting up slowly, wincing as lights seemed to explode behind his head.  
"Then perhaps you also begin to understand." Suddenly, in a flash of rainbow light Gennai disappeared.  
"I hate it when he does that." TK muttered to himself.  
"Well so do we." Ken muttered. "Shall we go see what the others are doing?"  
"No, I'll be all right."  
"So what was he talking about?" Kari wanted to know.  
TK sighed briefly, playing with his hat for a moment before answering. "This stays between us, you understand?"  
"Sure. I don't know why..." Ken began.  
"Because the others don't need to know, and I don't want to send them looking in the wrong direction." TK replied, still fooling around with his hat. "Anyway, here's the long and short of it. There's this place called the Heart of the World, and it's the most beautiful thing that exists. I know. I've been there. There's a doorway to it in all of us, I know because I traveled through mine while I was falling off that cliff. The place is the source of the power that flows through our crests, and, while you're there, you absorb energy like mad, and it gives you the strength to do extraordinary things.  
"The crests work because you align yourself with certain strands of energy, energy that responds to courage, or to honor, or kindness. Once you can receive the power you act like sort of an antenna, drawing the power from that otherworldly place to you. That's why if you get off your game, you can't use the crest anymore."  
"It makes sense." Ken's eyes widened. "It's like a carrier frequency. If you get off the right frequency you can't receive messages anymore. But as long as you're on the right one, you can always receive that power. It makes sense."  
"But why can't you use it again?" Kari asked. "You talked about not being able to control it, but I don't understand..."  
"The first time you use it it's like you have...oh...beginner's luck or something. You're able to survive anything they throw at you. You're able to wield the power because your mind, your conscious mind is completely out of your control. You just do what you think is best. The problem is that when you try to consciously control that much power, your poor little brain gets overloaded. It's just too much to handle, and I'm not ready for it yet. None of us are. That's why I can't use it again for a long time. If I do, I'll rage out of control. I'll do the impossible, and I won't be able to fix it. And then the forces of darkness will come for me."  
"The impossible?" Ken asked.  
"They destroyed a world Ken. An entire planet." TK looked up, his eyes filled with steadily mounting horror. "What can I do against beings who can do that?"  



	4. Opening Moves

Digimon does not belong to me. Consider yourself disclaimed.  
Author's Note: Sorry this took so long...I got sick...and I got midterms, and a whole bunch of other things. I'll try to make the wait for the next one a lot shorter, and I'll try to shorten the overall length of the series while I'm at it.   
  
  


**Episode XVII  
Opening Moves  
** _  
"Hell is what happens between when you start charging and they start shooting at you."_  
Gennai, Battle of Takesh Innuit  
_  
"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"_  
Adm. David Farragut  
  


"So, they move against me." Khartan shook what must be considered his hand across the board and the symbols, representing children in two worlds, winked out with a flash. "No matter. My power exceeds theirs still. Only that Takeru brat could face me, and his power is once more unusable."  
"Indeed it is Master." The dark figure at his shoulder bowed at his dominant master's declaration. The voice was neither male or female, but rather a dark cavernous well in which all light would be lost.  
"You need not treat me with such deference Bane. I know what is in your heart." Khartan turned. "Are you ready to seize the power from them?"  
"I think it would be wiser to execute phase two now." Bane met Khartan's inquisitive glare with a strange, harsh expression.  
"As you see fit." Khartan shrugged.  
  
"Hey TK." Gennai looked tired, resting awkwardly on the grass on the green hillside, while the fresh sea breeze ruffled his hair. The gray robes were singed now, looking battered. Gennai did not look too capable either at the moment.  
"Hey Gennai." TK let the sun restore the energy he had recently drained from himself return, filling him full of warm light.  
"Sorry about what happened. We drew upon the Heart too drastically, especially Mike, who controls the Master edition of your crest. That's what caused the disturbance."  
"My fault too. I shouldn't have gone looking for it." TK admitted.  
"You did the right thing warning Ken and Kari. Both of them have to know." Gennai absently picked a piece of grass growing nearby and held it in his hand until the wind blew it away.  
"I hope so. It's really accelerating now, isn't it?"  
"Justice's master plan is coming together nicely. Do you know your part in it?"  
"No."  
"Good. I hope you understand why at least."  
"Yes."  
"Good." Gennai stood up and gave TK a warrior's salute, two fingers raised in recognition of the other's bravery. "Sleep well my friend."   
And then TK fell deeper into sleep.  
  
Izzy, hard at work at his computer terminal, paused a moment when a rainbow flash of light obscured his vision. He was about to sound the alarm to his sleeping comrades when a familiar figure stopped him, placing a finger to his lips to indicate that silence was in order.  
"Let your friends sleep. They will need it soon." Gennai whispered to him.  
"Gennai! What are you doing here?"  
"I came to offer my advice. And a warning."  
"Any advice from you is well worth it. What do you wish to know?"  
"First the warning. You have begun, more than any of the others here, to tap into the powers of your crest. This allows me to contact you now, but it also renders you a little vulnerable. Watch yourself, and trust your instincts. Second, the advice. You must destroy Daemon in four days."  
"What! Four days!" Izzy shot up. "But we'll only get there tomorrow."  
"Four days. Less if possible. Then you may return home."  
"You know something." Izzy accused, and for a moment Gennai looked old and saddened, tired and heavy with grief and sorrow.  
"Yes. I know something. Good luck Izzy. I'm sorry fate forced you all to be what you are."  
"Gennai" Izzy began.  
"Goodbye." The rainbow light flared again. "And good luck."  
  
A man sits alone in a darkened room. There is one light, glaringly bright against the stark darkness and the Spartan accompaniments in the habitation. The light gleams harshly, like bitter knives, off of a single fixture, a chess board set up in the middle of the room, pieces arranged in their rows and ranks, waiting for instructions and the call to battle.  
A hand descends from beyond the scope of the light, descending down like a God from the heavens he calls home, picking up one piece and moving it forward two squares. A single movement for a single pawn, but the opening to a mighty struggle.  
"The pieces are on the board." The man says quietly. "It's your move."  
But the room is empty, and there is no reply.  
  
Morning steals over the world quietly, coming on silent footsteps, yet opening eyes around the cold and crowded places that it frequents. People stir, rise and move onward, preparing to get on with their lives.  
"Let's see if we can't get a little closer." Izzy finishes looking through Tai's goggles and looks over the rough ground. Everywhere he can see there is only barren dirt and a garden of rocks, natural walls creating ramparts and mighty fortifications that sit unmanned among the lifeless land. Down the slope of the hill he is looking at lies a massive pinnacle of rock, which seems to give the structure on top of it its name. The Pinnacle is a black fear-inspiring tower sunk into a mountain, impossible to construct in any world except this one.  
"I really hate this." Joe remarked to nobody in particular. But even he was looking confident and grim faced.  
"This guy is going down." Tai's voice was edged with blackness and hate. "Nobody does this to my sister."  
"C'mon guys." Matt pointed. "Piximon still says it's safe, so let's get going before we get caught here. Okay?"  
"Right." Tai returned to normal. "Mimi, Matt, point guards. Izzy, you're with Joe and me. Sora, make sure to cover our rear. We go one at a time between the rocks. Leomon, Ogremon, I want you to come down about five minutes after we do, so you catch anybody who tries to tail us. We ready?"  
"Let's do it." Sora's eyes were firm.  
  
"So that's it." Ken pointed at the huge castle, in what looked like classical Japanese castle design. "Quite a place, isn't it."  
"He isn't very original. This looks just like Osaka castle." Davis grumbled, apparently not being impressed at the grandeur and opulence of the fortress in front of them.  
"It is just like Osaka castle. I remember that from a paper I did once. Except that I think it's about five times normal size." Ken squinted down at the building.  
"Sounds about right. MachineDramon isn't exactly small." TK pushed up his hat, which had gotten pushed down when Patamon leaned forward.  
"So what do you say we pulverize it?" Yolei asked, glancing down.  
"First the question is how. It's a little big." Wormmon pointed out from his vantage point on the ground below.  
"Indubitably." Hawkmon agreed.  
"Do you have to use big words. You're giving me a headache." Veemon complained, clutching his head in mock pain.  
"Oh lay off." Hawkmon replied with some asperity.  
"So Davis, what's the plan?" Cody looked serious. But then again, he always looked serious.  
"See those buildings down there?" Davis pointed. There were outbuildings all over the place, apparently to support the castle and its environs. Plain whitewashed buildings, some long and low, some block-like, covered the landscape like confetti after a wedding. A group of them was arranged right next to the forest at the base of the hill they were on.  
"Yeah?" Cody peered down, not seeing anything special about them.  
"Well Ken and I have been watching them ever since we got up here this morning. I think that they're mostly abandoned, or used for storage. So my plan is this, we go down there and hide in them and look for a way in."  
"I think it should work." TK considered.   
"Good plan Davis." Kari clapped Davis on the shoulder, causing their fearless leader to blush.  
"Actually," Davis reached back with one hand to scratch the back of his neck, like he usually did when he was embarrassed. "most of it is Ken's idea."  
There was a moment of silence, and then TK elbowed Davis playfully. "Wow, modest tooyou're getting pretty good at this leader thing."  
"Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better." Davis replied cheerfully.  
"Oh God." Yolei moaned, and put her hand over her eyes. "If he starts quoting Shakespeare, I'm out of here."  
"To be or not to be, that is theAwwck!" Davis stumbled in his recitation figuratively and literally as Yolei shoved him down onto the ground.  
"Let's get to it then. We'll go down, two at a time. Me and Davis first, you and Cody next, Kari and TK last. This we'll keep them from spotting us, we hope, until we get down to the ground." Ken pointed downward, along the slope. "We'll meet up in that stand of oak trees."  
"See ya there." Davis remarked as he began to sneak away into the silent bushes, Ken stalking on his heels like a solid ghost. A few minutes later Yolei and Cody vanished into the underbrush.  
"I'd forgotten what this was like." Kari took TK's hand in her own for a moment, and TK gave her a comforting squeeze.  
"You mean going after another Digimon, not in self defense, but to hunt him down and destroy him?" TK asked, lost in memories of his own.  
"Yeah." Kari responded listlessly.  
"We all hoped we wouldn't have to do it again. But life isn't always that kind to us you know. Let's go."  
And then they were gone, and only the crumpled grass marked their existence on this spot.  
  
"Back door, back door. Well, these things always have a back door in the movies." Tai muttered, looking around.  
"Yeah, but this ain't the movies." Matt reminded him pointedly. "And more importantly, we don't have to depend on a back door. If we need to we can make our own way."  
"We're trying to do this quietly." Joe reminded them with a pained look on his face as he glanced out from behind the rock they were hiding against. A pair of guards, massive MarineDevimon stood guarding the main doorway to the towering structure, obscuring the gate itself. They looked too far away to actually hear what was being said, but Joe disliked taking chances, and long years of experience had taught them that underestimating Digimon was a good way to die early.  
"Well, we'll have to find some way in." Agumon muttered. "Otherwise this is going to be a long day."  
"We'll find one. We'll find one." Tai grunted the words like a prayer. "And then that guy is going to pay."  
  
It was at least comfortable. The room they had chosen to insert themselves in had turned out to store a huge collection of furniture, probably collected from empty and deserted buildings. Couches, beds and chairs were scattered around with barely any order evident in their placement. Six Digimon and their human companions easily disappeared among that chaotic array of furniture that filled the building to the ceiling. The only problem was finding each other and getting around without making too much noise.  
After a quick break though all twelve of them congregated on a section of couches and beds in one corner of the room, TK and Kari holding hands, Ken tapping on his computer with Yolei looking over his shoulder, Davis playing tic-tac-toe on a dusty tabletop with Veemon (they had tried chess, but kept on losing the dust bunnies they were using as pieces), and Cody polishing his sword and quietly talking to Armadillomon.  
"That idiot!" Ken suddenly exploded. Without thinking Yolei slapped her hand across his mouth to keep him from being heard by anybody walking by outside, immediately blushing and lowering her hand afterward. Ken was blushing a little too, but he ignored it and plowed on.  
"What's wrong Ken?" Kari rolled to face him, looking a little concerned at Ken's outburst.  
"That idiot has no creative ability whatsoever." Ken grumbled this time, definitely quieter.  
"Could you please tell us what you're talking about?" Patamon pleaded.  
"Sorry. It's justas far as I can tell, he just rebuilt that castle in the exact shape of Osaka castle back in Japan." Ken smirked.  
"Explanation please?" Davis sounded a little irritated, probably because in the excitement Veemon had just wiped out his game board.  
"I can still access some of the internet from this Scanner. Don't ask how, but I can. The floor plans for Osaka castle are posted online at a site I looked at, so we can get the stupid things and figure out exactly how his castle is laid out. Then we can break in at will, give me a moment."  
There were several quiet minutes in which Davis shrugged and went back to his game, TK and Kari started whispering to each other and their Digimon again, Cody went through a few of his grandfather's exercises, and Yolei and the rest of the Digimon watched with rapt attention. Finally Ken laid out the Scanner flat and pointed at a few highlighted points on a computerized map.  
"Here's our entrance." He told them.  
  
"Halt, who goes there?" The Bakemon rushed around the corner, and looked around, but there was nobody there, the corridor, dark and dusty, remaining empty.   
"Ah well, false alarm." He muttered, turning around to rejoin his companions. Suddenly his vision was eclipsed by TK and Ken's fists, slamming into his face and knocking him back into a wall.  
"At least it doesn't hurt when you hit them." Ken muttered, shaking his fist out. "Did we get them all?"  
Veemon and Patamon who were bringing up the rear looked at where Gatomon was pushing the last of the three Bakemon into a limp pile. Then they nodded.  
"Right, back down the hole." Ken ran fast but quietly down the hallway, with TK right behind. A moment later they rounded a corner and dashed into a room to find Cody and Kari waiting for them, watching their surrounding nervously.  
"Everybody in." Ken pointed, and they poured back through a square hole that Cody had carved in the back of the room with his sword. Carefully, doing their best not to leave a mark, TK and Kari eased the piece of the wall back into position, sealing it closed with a sticky substance they had been using to keep their gear together. Now anyone who did not know what they were looking for would fail to find the marks there, rendering their entry point invisible.  
Cody and Veemon were already halfway down the corridor behind the wall, really a narrow service hall that servants had once used to walk through The walls were dark without their proper lighting, but they were lit enough that they could dart through and make it to the second hole, this one carved through to what had once been an old cellar beneath the castle proper. Inside they could see the anxious faces of Yolei and Davis watching them, sighing in relief as the little group dived back into the sheltering darkness and out of sight from the outside.  
"All right." Ken told them, still shaking a little. "We have our distraction. We can get away for now, but they'll find that patrol sooner or later. We're still in the outer bailey, but this route will get us up into the inner courtyard, since it appears that we can use this passage here that got built in by the building inspectors this century and blindly copied over into this version."  
"We go fast, before they figure out where we are." TK reminded everyone.  
"We didn't need that TK." Yolei reminded him.  
"Need it or not, it can't hurt. From the position of the sun and the orientation of the castle we should be able to weave through the shadows and assemble here, in this corner behind the castle. The problem is then the tower. I still don't know a way in, so it will be up to the rest of us to do it. Alright?"  
"Right." They chorused.  
"Okay, stations everybody."  
  
"There has to be a way in." Tai muttered again for the thousandth time.  
"I think there is." Izzy mused, half to himself, pushing buttons absently on his computer. "See that huge gate there?"  
"The big one guarded by a pair of DarkTyrannomon, the one that is so big you could probably drive a fleet of trucks straight through it?" Matt wanted to know. "How do we get through that?"  
"Easy answer. Piximon?"  
"I think I can do it, but we're going to have to be very careful about what we're doing." The pink Digimon looked around curiously, as if measuring thins up.  
"What are you talking about?" Mimi demanded, looking confused, and then her expression brightened considerably. "Oh, a Digital Barrier!"  
"Exactly." Piximon's reply was cheerful, but he really did not look like he enjoyed the idea. "But there's a problem. I make you invisible, but the barrier is physical in nature. If you touch one of the guards, or knock anything over, everyone will be able to see us. Or at least where we are. And the last thing we need is to get stuck in a huge open gateway with nowhere to go."  
"How about this?" Izzy suggested. "You go in first and scout around, take Tentomon with you just in case, and then if you find a way to go, you come back and tell us."  
"Good idea Izzy." Biyomon congratulated him.  
"I suppose it might work." Ogremon puzzled himself with the thought for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders. "But I still like charging in there better."  
"I think you should listen to the digidestined. They have a lot of experience with this." Leomon responded evenly, defusing his partner's statement.  
"Whatever. Go for it Piximon." Tai's eyes were still hot.  
  
"Arrgh!" Daemon threw a large heavy object across the room, carelessly shattering several valuable computer screens. His all-important oracle screen remained intact, perhaps unfortunately, as it was the main source of his troubles. Normally it showed the approximate locations of the digidestined and their brat accomplices, but now it had changed entirely. Instead it simply displayed the grinning image of Gennai, staring out at him impishly. Obviously Citadel's powerhouse had managed to sneak a net of incredibly tight programming, in the form of a sensor blank zone, around the Pinnacle. Daemon knew that the digidestined were around, but this was a surefire message that they were preparing to attack, and he did not even know how.  
"What is it Master?" A pair of SkullMeramon skidded to a halt in front of their convulsing Master, worried expressions on their faces as they prepared themselves to confront their Master's wrath.  
"Those fools are coming, and I don't even know where?" Daemon howled, carelessly blasting a stone column into rubble. "I'll get them yet, those insects."  
"We'll stop them Master." One of his lackeys promised.  
"See that you do. My orders are to take them intact, but not too intact if you understand my meaning."  
"Of course Master, I'll inform the guards of such."  
  
"Any luck on figuring out where we go from here?" Cody asked Ken, who was musing over the diagrams on the scanner and the hastily scratched out plans on the dirt nearby. All of them save Gatomon were hovering around in a room that was used for maintenance of the water pipes running into the castle proper.  
"No, it's a real Japanese castle." Ken muttered. "The floors are laid out nicely, but there's really nothing we can do about it. It's meant to be hard to get up, for invaders and assassins both. The things too tall to climb, but at the same time it's really going to be a pain to go up the middle. The stairs are too few, to central to the building plan, so everyone will be able to find us going up. We'll have to fight all the way up to the top, and I don't know how we're going to it."  
"We need to somehow corner MachineDramon somewhere where he won't be protected by all his minions."  
"HmmmI was wrong, I think they have made some adjustments. I think he's got some sort of central control center built into things around the middle of the building. I'm not sure what floor it's on, but from the placement of the windows, something is definitely wrong." Ken took another glance at the plans.  
"So what do we do with that?" Davis reclined back.  
"We get into it. Knowing evil Digimon, it will probably have systems designed to keep it isolated from outside, just in case the locals revolt." Yolei pointed out.  
"Right, we get in, we lock his guards out, and then we take him head on." Veemon exclaimed.  
"It might not be that simple." Cody reminded them. "After all, look at it, he might not have a good way of locking his guards out, and then what?"  
"We have to split up." TK pointed out. "The problem is, we're stuck now. We have to take this guy down, and we have to do it soon, or else we're really going to be stuck. If worse comes to worse, I suppose we could fly out, but then they'll be ready for us next time, and it won't be that easy again."  
Kari nodded. "It's now or never."  
Suddenly they all jumped, spilling over pipes and other controls in the semi-darkness as a wailing siren sounded in the distant, crying alarm to all the inhabitants. Everyone let their sudden shock freeze them for a few seconds as they stared, horror filled, into each other's eyes, all waiting for the moment when they would be called into action. There was a familiar crawling, squeezing pain of fear in the bottom of their chests as the moment changed into a time for action, a sudden dash of cold water on already frayed nerves. And then they swallowed and began to move.  
Gatomon flung herself into the room from above, panting. "They're coming." She gasped at them unnecessarily.  
"Everyone fed?" Ken asked around, watching the Digimon nod, faces hardening up.  
"Ready to go." Yolei reported quietly.  
"Let's do it." Wormmon pulled on Ken's pant leg.  
"Showtime." Ken whispered quietly, but everyone heard and nodded as Ken's face went grim and cold as ice.  
  
"Hey guys." Piximon's voice spoke to them out of thin air, nearly causing Mimi to scream, except that Joe had the presence of mind to grab her with his hand over her mouth to prevent just such an occurrence. There was a sudden shimmer and then Piximon and Tentomon appeared in the air right in front of them, slightly apologetic looks on their faces.  
"Never do that again!" Joe snapped angrily as he let go of Mimi.  
"Please." Izzy brushed the sweat off his forehead.  
"Never mind that. It appears that they know we're coming." Piximon hissed at them.  
"What? How?" Tai shot up again.  
"It seems that Daemon had a device that tells him where people are once they get close enough to his fortress. We overheard two of the guards discussing it." Piximon and Tentomon exchanged glances.  
"So he knows where we are?" Palmon wanted to know, her flowers going up.  
"Uhhhno." Piximon responded, looking a little happier. "That's what all the fuss in there is about. Apparently when Daemon turned it on this morning all he could see was a picture of Gennai, so it appears that our associate is helping us by jamming all the transmissions that Daemon has. Nevertheless, he still has quite a force in there."  
"What kind?" Sora wanted to know.  
"I don't know. There are only a few that I found, Ultimates and Champions all, but I can't penetrate to the inner sanctum. I got lost."  
"That's still a sizable force, but where are the rest?" Izzy was quickly entering this information on his computer.  
"He is controlling a rather large territory, so most of the big ones are elsewhere. He also has squadrons of rookies patrolling everywhere, but they aren't much of a threat. The real defense of course is Daemon. I think that he's stronger than all of us. We'll need a neat trick to get rid of him."  
"We'll think of something." Tai responded, looking up angrily. "Right now what we need is a way in."  
"Well we found one. It appears that there are several storerooms off the main branch, mostly containing bits and pieces of things that Daemon finds interesting. By flying we can get inside some of the hard to reach areas where it will be too hard to find us." Tentomon looked proud of his accomplishment.  
"We can't fly." Gabumon pointed out, looking at his own body.  
"We can inside my Digital Barrier." Piximon responded.  
"All right, let's do it." Tai pointed. "Charge!"  
  
"Here's the way!" Ken pointed, and they dashed through the grounds, keeping out of the way of the guards who were busy pounding out toward the outbuildings and the gates. Fortunately careless shippers and freight handlers had left crates of supplies and boxes of junk lying around the carefully manicured green courtyard, allowing the twelve of them to sneak through the maze of abandoned junk without being spotted.  
It seemed as though Ken's gambit was working. He and Kari had argued long and hard about the benefits of a silent entrance, which would warn no one of their coming, and the advantage of a misleading decoy event which would force the guards to look somewhere else. They had launched an attack on the Bakemon in the furthest outpost of the castle, one near a fortuitously open window. Hopefully the guards would be called out to search the outside once they found nobody within the castle, and would not stumble onto the back passages that the group had used to commit the deed.  
"Now if only we had a back door." Patamon pondered, staring up.  
"We have something better then that." Ken pointed quickly. "Doors are guarded, but windows usually aren't. Fly up there and see what's inside."  
Patamon quickly flapped his way up to a nearby window and peeped in before returning to ground level. "It's empty, but you can't get up there. It's too high to climb."  
Obviously the builders had done their work. The slightly slanted walls would not allow anyone to clamber up their surface, but with the guards busy, Ken had planned something else. Pulling on his bag he came up with the ten meters of rope that TK had packed just in case so many days ago, and handed one end to Gatomon. To the other end he tied his jacket and Davis' jacket, so that they had a line that was long enough to reach the high window. Moving swiftly, he had the knots done in seconds, and then turned to Hawkmon and Patamon.  
"Okay you guys, I want you to carry Gatomon up there. She's the only one who knows how to tie knots well, so she gets to tie it to something solid. Then we go up, you guys carrying the other Digimon if you're strong enough. Go now, before the guards start checking this area."  
Hawkmon picked up Gatomon in his claws and quickly flew her over the windowsill, with Patamon following, heaving mightily as he hauled Wormmon up with him. A few moments later the rope they had brought started to jerk, as if someone was working with the other ends, followed by Gatomon sticking her head out the window and nodding.  
Ken scrambled up the rope first, making sure it was safe and jumping through the window into the room beyond, Hawkmon trailing him, bringing Armadillomon up in his claws. TK followed, briefly pausing to make sure that he could negotiate the final turn up into the room, and then hitting the ground heavily, a moment before Kari scrambled up the same way. Cody and Veemon came up together, pulling themselves hand over hand, but they could hear shouts coming closer.  
"Check everywhere!" Someone was screaming, and there was the sound of tramping feet as guards began to move around everywhere, checking behind and in front of the various obstructions on the castle grounds. Some of the footsteps were getting noticeably closer.  
Then Yolei fell down, and the rope shook loose of its knot, and tumbled to the ground after her, stranding her on the ground. There was a moment when everyone froze in complete panic.  
"Sticky Net!" Wormmon emitted his familiar blast of webbing, encasing Yolei and causing her to struggle against the sudden confines, but everyone else had already figured out the new plan, and were engaged in hauling her up to the window. Yolei squeezed through the window and toppled to the ground, safely out of sight, rope still in hand, when two Meramon turned a corner below, bringing them within eye contact of the area. With a quick sweep they checked the area, turned and left.  
Kari breathed a sigh of relief, and exchanged a glance with TK, sharing a silent moment after their second rope climb from death and destruction, before she looked around the room. Empty and serene this particular room seemed to be an empty office storage room, filled with filing cabinets and computer parts that had collected several months worth of dust. The only entrance was a single door, that appeared to have been long unopened.  
"Okay, we're in, now what?" Kari asked.  
  
_Slowly_, Joe thought to himself, near panic as the group inched between the guards, _so slowly that you have no chance of making a mistake_.  
But Piximon was going at the pace of a normal walk, forcing the bunched up little group to walk extremely carefully. One careless exclamation could lose everything for them. Still they treaded onward, as two different sets of bored looking Gardromon watched the outside world listlessly. Fortunately the corridor was wide enough that the whole group could sneak through without really being caught, but it was still a close thing.  
"We're in." Izzy muttered once they were sufficiently down the corridor to avoid the guards. "Now what?"  
"We go straight for him." Tai told them, anger still seething in his voice.  
"Are you sure?" Sora asked cautiously. "I mean we haven't scouted around at all or anything"  
"We go for him and make him pay." Tai was adamant and everyone just sighed.  
"This way." Piximon pointed with his spear and, framed by Leomon and Ogremon, the group made its way deeper into the castle.  
"Are you sure?" Tai asked after a few moments.  
"Of course." Piximon snapped, sounding a little impatient. "This is the center of everything. He's got to be here."  
And then they rounded the corner and found themselves face to face with a huge set of doors, completely unguarded. Everyone looked at them for a moment.  
"Well, he must be in there." Tai muttered, walking up and forcing everyone else to follow him." He had almost reached the doors when there was a sudden noise from inside, and he stopped dead.  
"What is that?" Gabumon sounded alarmed.  
"I don't know." Piximon muttered uneasily.  
"Maybe he has a trap waiting for us." Mimi suggested, but Izzy was frowning and bending closer to listen to the doors themselves.  
"It's an elevator." He announced after a few moments.  
"Daemon must be upstairs then." Tai muttered, checking to make sure they were all invisible still.  
Suddenly the noises stopped, and the doors opened, revealing a huge empty elevator compartment. Moments later a pair of Veggiemon towing a huge cart filled with cardboard boxes emerged from another corridor and occupied the elevator.  
Tai shrugged and then they squeezed in beside the two flunkies, making sure that they were still undetected.  
Slowly the doors closed and the elevator began to rise upward toward confrontation.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Although it does not contain a map of the outbuildings (the map to which Ken refers and I have never seen), limited floor plans of Osaka Castle can be found at:  
http://www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en/castle/jozetu/index.htm  



	5. Sudden Complications

Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon.  
  


**Episode XVIII  
Sudden Complications**  
  
Definition: Uh-oh: Interjection, usually used to indicate the presence of undesirable elements in the immediate vicinity. Used to announce the arrival of sudden chaos. See also, Hey, He's Got No Pants, Mammothmon Stampede, Pancake Shaped, Second Syllable Retreat, At Least It Can't Get Any Worse, The Stairs are Out, First Floor Window Rule, No-Pupil Syndrome, *  


  
"So where are we going with all this?" Yolei poked around curiously.  
"Well, our only hope is that they don't check this room too often." Ken remarked. "We're inside the main keep of the castle, but there isn't much else we can do here but wait for them to relax their guard, unless we can figure out where their headquarters is in here?"  
"I thought you had a map for this place." Davis accused him.  
"I did, but he's obviously made some changes. In my map this place is a blank wall. There's a problem here, because MachineDramon must have altered the actual physical structure of the inner tower when he rebuilt this place." Ken looked around in confusion and then shrugged.  
"So now what?" Kari asked.  
"We wait." Ken told them, and settled down to make himself comfortable.  
  
The door to the elevator shaft opened and two Veggiemon emerged towing a huge cart filled with boxes. The two Gardromon standing watch here gave it a cursory examination and let it go by, not even noticing the slight distortion in space that passed them by and quickly made its way off to one side to an abandoned corridor, empty except for the sound of distant machinery.  
"Problems?" Tai asked impatiently.  
"I didn't expect this." Piximon admitted. "I didn't think to scout this far in."  
"It makes sense that Daemon would have quite a set of fortifications to control a world, but we couldn't see it from the outside." Leomon grumbled. "This would explain why we never could understand where he was hiding his armies."  
"I agree." Izzy pointed around. "From the outside this doesn't look as big as it obviously is. From simple calculations I estimate that the height of this place is much greater than I thought it was from the outside. Apparently there is a force field or an illusion or something surrounding this place to disguise its nature."  
"You mean this whole place is hidden?" Agumon asked, looking confused.  
"I think so." Izzy returned.  
"Look." Tai grunted through gritted teeth. "Kari and the others might be suffering right now on the other side of that portal. That's why Gennai wanted us to go through so fast. We need to get through now."  
"All right, all right." Izzy looked a bit impressed at Tai's vehemence. He tapped for a few moments, and then shrugged.  
"So what's the news?" Tentomon asked.  
"Well, it works sort of like this. We need some scouting parties to go out. I think my computer can get a bit of help from the mainframe, but I'll have to be a bit careful. Piximon, we're going to need to find a room. I want to try something for a while."  
"Right. My magic detects some in this direction." Piximon pointed, off down the hallway. After a few minutes of following the unerring point of his spear, the group found themselves inside a series of huge warehouse like constructs.  
"At least we won't run out of food." Joe remarked, checking out the crates of the stuff lying around carelessly. "We've got enough in here to feed an army."  
"Which is exactly what that freak Daemon is doing with it." Gomamon reminded him.  
"All right, so now what?" Tai demanded.  
"Hold your horses Tai. Now Piximon and I need to talk." Izzy sat down and began to converse with Piximon while Tai fumed impatiently.  
  
"So, what do you want to do when you get back?" Kari asked TK innocently as they lounged back on a set of chairs pushed against the wall, out of sight of anyone who might walk through the door.  
"Avoiding your brother and seeing you come to mind." TK teased.  
"In what priority?" Kari arched an eyebrow and then frowned. "Never mind, I don't want to know."  
"You always come first." TK told her with a straight face.  
"How sweet. Keep saying that and it might go to my head." Kari poked him, and then squeezed his hand.  
"Good." TK put an arm around Kari's shoulders, an act that still made him nervous but was getting more and more comfortable with every passing day. It gave him a warm feeling inside, amplified by the warmth that was Kari leaking in from the outside. Kari sighed in something very much like contentment and leaned back against her partner, feeling the warmth that bound them together as it tempted them to sleep.  
"You know, you two should really spend some more time together." Gatomon finished washing her paws with her tongue "We could go away if you want."  
"Yeah." Patamon joined in, but he still looked a little confused about everything.  
"Don't worry." TK laughed gently. "We still really aren't sure what we're supposed to be doing anyway, so you don't have to leave us alone at all."  
"Yeah." Kari smiled at them. "It's not like we really have changed all that much."  
"You're touching each other more." Patamon noted, something that made the two humans blush and Gatomon stop preening long enough to give Patamon a little bat to the back of the head.  
"So what are we going to do?" Kari asked seriously.  
"I don't know, study some, finish school, get jobs that don't take up all of our time, and then get to work."  
"Work?" Gatomon wanted to know.  
TK and Kari looked at her for a moment before relenting and giving her an explanation. "We have to serve as the guardians of the Digital World. It's something I was told. Kari knows it too." TK smiled at the two of them. "So do all the digidestined and such. You see, right now we're the only group alive that has Digimon of the kind of power we do, the ability to go over Champion and all that. So we're the only ones who can protect everything. Once there are enough human-Digimon pairs to hold the line we won't be needed as much, but we're still the veterans here."  
"You see, the integration of the Digital and Real worlds is going quite slowly for a reason, to get humans used to Digimon. This means that only a few people a year get exposed to Digimon." Kari looked very serious as she traced out designs with her hand. "This gives people a chance to come to terms with the Digimon, but it also leaves both worlds open to attack, and ill at ease with each other. It's one of the big weaknesses."  
"In essence Kari and I got volunteered." TK continued. "We end up watching over both worlds in the hopes that we can one day save both of them. It's the kind of job that requires full time and overtime in order for it to work. Not that we're complaining, but we have to keep planning."  
"So what happens in your future?" Patamon wanted to know.  
"Well, that's hard to see. You see, neither of us is going to let the other go out risking their neck without them, so we're stuck going as a team. And I can't see the other kids letting us go alone, so we'll probably have lots of help, but that isn't the best consolation right now." TK paused and let Kari continue.  
"We would have wanted a normal life like all other kids get, but that seems to be impossible now. We just can't do it anymore." Kari looked around. "I guess it brought us together so it can't be all bad, but it does make things difficult."  
"I wonder if Gennai could help you. I mean, he does seem to have some resources that help him." Patamon looked at the two of them with his ears poked up.  
"I'm sure he's got enough on his mind." TK smiled at his companion.  
  
The dawn of Phoenix was broken by a sudden roar. The siege lines, ancient, old and drawn well were greeted by a sign unlike any they had ever heard before. The forces of Darkness and the beleagured armies of the Phoenix Empire had been staring at each other across those fortifications for decades as the Empire had once stared at the barbarians of old. Huge cannons on both sides had acted as best they could to batter those massive walls into nothingness, as well as to silence their counterparts on the other side, but they had achieved little over the years.  
But now things were different, new forces were on the move, and this time the armies of the Darkness Crest were facing a different sort of foe from the tired armies that wore the golden phoenix on their sleeve. The Blood Marauders, the crack troops of seven campaigns were woken by the sound of gunfire in their rear, not by the sound of cannons to their front.  
Even to them the appearance of the battle-line was intimidating, terror at its maximum effect. Ten Dreadnaughts, infinitely deadly to ground forces, with twelve battleships floating around them, formed a single line at one edge of the horizon. From them ground bombardment missiles carrying the most devastating shrapnel warheads and Fuel-Air Explosives that the Citadel R&D labs could design belched forth, filling the air with hundreds of hornet-like angry beasts that slammed into the ground like meteors. Within seconds the enemy lines were decorated with corpses and pieces of corpses as missile after missile pounded home.   
But the Blood Marauders were veterans, and despite a large number of casualties among the unarmored in the first wave of attacks, they were well on their way to organizing when the second wave hit. Squadrons of ariel digimon, led by Mega-level warriors swooped in, letting the ground blaze with fire in their wake. Evil digimon and armored humans shriveled up in that devastating wave of fire a shuge beasts unloaded their pent up rage and frustration upon their disorganized foes. But amidst the carnage of the first air wave was more purposeful damage. Small groups of more accurate digimon dove through the first wave, these targeting the anti-air defenses of the Blood Marauders, attempting to reduce their anti-air firepower. Within a minute the defesnive batteries that had once protected the Blood Maraduers were nothing more than ash, and their armies were in complete disarray.  
There was the whine of heavy machinery and Citadel troop carriers blasted in, coming in hard over the planetary horizon. From them first dozens and then thousands of soldiers poured out, digimon and human alike, rushing into company formations to take control of the necessary outposts to shield the still incoming craft. Within five minutes of the first touchdown there was a heavy perimeter of soldiers around the inner regions, and more troops were moving out to eliminate remaining resistance.  
"The pass is secure." Justice turned to one side and saluted Gennai with a lopsided grin. "Phoenix has been relieved."  
  
"So what's your plan?" Tai asked impatiently as Izzy and Piximon finally returned.  
"I think that by combining my computer skills and Piximon's abilities we can tie Piximon's Digital Barrier skills to our D3s. This should allow us to be able to scout invisibly without them noticing." Izzy pointed to his computer, which was beeping and working madly.  
"So you mean that we can walk around invisible?" Tai asked. "Right, we'll kick Daemon to the moon with that kind of power."  
"Not that easy Tai." Piximon waved his spear in Tai's general direction. "You see I think I can only project my barrier to shield three different groups at the same time, and small groups too. I'll have to stay here to do it, but three groups should serve effectively to do the job that needs doing. If you attack out of it though, the barriers will shatter, and you'll be visible."  
"So, we send three groups out to find Daemon and wipe him out." Tai looked angry.  
"No Tai." Izzy corrected him. "Each group will have to be a scouting group because we only have enough coverage to shelter one human and one Digimon. You and I will stay behind to coordinate things, and Matt will stay with us because Garurumon is really fast, and he can cover for us if something goes wrong. The other three of us will go off with their Digimon to cover things."  
"All right." Tai grumbled, and wandered off to the other end of the room in a bit of a fit.  
"I have to give you a few instructions before you go." Izzy looked at the other six, checked to make sure nobody was listening, and then lowered his voice. "Have you noticed that Tai is behaving more recklessly lately?"  
"It's as plain as the nose on my face." Joe remarked, dropping his voice as well. "And Matt's more withdrawn than he usually is."  
"I think that Kari's predicament may have dangerously unbalanced Tai, so I think he's going to be a little crazy. We're going to have a hard enough time subduing Daemon even with a good plan. Trying to do it without a plan at all is sheer madness. Matt's better, but not that much better."  
"So what do we do?" Biyomon asked quietly.  
"For now, nothing. But remember that we have to head off his impulsiveness. Now remember, be careful out there. The barrier masks vision, but not sound, so you have to be quiet and avoid contact with any guards you come across. Just from preliminary observations, I guess that this place is huge, so watch your step. Try to find a way to wherever Daemon is hiding at the moment, and we'll take care of the rest."  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Gatomon asked, brushing Kari's cheek with her whiskers. Kari giggled and brushed Gatomon's ears lightly with the back of her free hand.  
"Whatever you want silly." Kari ran her hand down Gatomon's furred back with the gentlest of touches. "We would love it if you stayed with us, but if you have a nice place staked out back in the Digital World, I don't think that we would blame you for staying there."  
"Of course we'll go with you guys. You're our best friends." Patamon raised his ears like a set of sails, causing TK to rumble deep in his chest, an amused sound that made Kari giggle again.  
"Besides, life would be boring without you guys." Gatomon tried to maintain an air of studied indifference, but her twitching tail betrayed her.  
"Oh." Yolei stuck her head into the corner of their little enclave, and stared at the two of them. "I see that the lovebirds are at it again. I guess I'll go away."  
"No, come in." TK grinned at her, while Kari stuck out her tongue at her friend.  
"How are you guys so calm?" She wanted to know.  
"What do you mean?" TK asked curiously, trying to hide his sudden rush of anxiousness as Kari relaxed back into him again.  
"Well, we're about to go fight one of the biggest battles ever against a huge Mega, and you're just sitting there as calm as can be. How do you do it?"  
"Practice." Kari frowned. "We've been doing this a long time. Living in constant fear in the wilderness is good for getting you used to this kind of stuff. Besides, I've got TK to distract me."  
TK blushed again.  
"Are you ever going to stop blushing?" Yolei asked snippily.  
TK turned even redder.  
"Never mind." Yolei shook her head.  
"So what's on your mind?" Gatomon asked politely.  
"Well, I'm walking around with the jitters. Hawkmon is sleeping. Wormmon is sleeping. Armadillomon is sleeping. Davis and Veemon are both trying to sleep. Cody is meditating or something, and Ken is sitting around with his computer. I guess I'm bored and restless."  
"You could go talk to Ken about computers." Kari suggested slyly.  
"Well, I, usI guess I could but" TK and Kari snickered just a bit before Yolei caught on to them. "Oh, I see how this goes."  
"Turnabout's fair play." TK responded with a wink. Kari just stuck her tongue out again.  
"Well, are you ready?" Yolei asked.  
"Oh yeah. We're ready all right." TK brushed a hand down Kari's cheek.  
"I've got it!" Ken shot into their little corner, overadjusting and slipping on the floor before calming himself to present himself in a more controlled manner.  
"UhKen?" TK looked confused. "What do you have?"  
"Where MachineDramon is." Ken pointed his finger straight down. "The castle is only a decoration. He has a huge mechanical throne room directly below the castle proper. If we could get down there, we could finish this once and for all."  
"How far down are we talking about?" A newly awakened Davis came over, with Veemon trailing right behind him.  
"Not too far down. Apparently there are a set of stairs right down the hallway from here, and we can use those to get down to the next level. I'm hoping that once we get down there we can get the doors to seal and lock ourselves inside for a confrontation with that metallic mutant. If we can defeat him, I think that his guards will abandon him." Ken looked enthused at their prospects.  
"So when do we do it?" Davis asked.  
"Are you doing anything important right now?" Ken challenged him.  
"Nothing that I can't put off." Davis returned.  
TK grinned. "Well, we did have plans, but this looks more fun than what we were going to do."  
"Better than sitting around doing nothing." Yolei clenched her open hand into a fist.  
"Don't look at me." Cody looked very serious. "I just think we should get this done with."  
"I think it's decided. Right guys?" Kari asked.  
"Yes!" All the Digimon cheered.  
"All right. Charge!" Ken pointed toward the door.  
  
"Think this is what they were looking for?" Biyomon whispered into Sora's ear.  
"I would bet on it." Sora responded.  
"We should probably tell them right away." Biyomon whispered again.  
"Right." Sora replied, and ducked back behind the corner, nodding at her avian companion. "We've got to get back to the others right away."  
  
"You found a what?" Tai wanted to know.  
"Their super secure elevator, or whatever it is." Sora told him, watching his reaction very carefully. He did seem a bit over-excited right now.  
"Where is it?" Leomon asked.  
"It's sort of in the center of the tower. This place is huge." Sora waved her hands around for emphasis, nearly knocking Matt aside in the process.  
"I'll say." Joe chimed in. "Gomamon and I nearly got lost in some sort of production facility. It took us half an hour just to find our way out again."  
"Well anyway there was this huge elevator waiting for us there. I don't know any other way to describe it, but the thing was tremendous, and it was filled with guards."  
"The elevator was filled with guards?" Gabumon asked.  
"No, the room was. The way it works is that it seems that there is some sort of barrier that seals off the highest tower. Since the barrier is functional, the only way up seems to be through that particular elevator. The room that leads to it is filled with guards. Fortunately it seems that we could sneak inside the elevator."  
"That would make sense. Daemon is remarkably paranoid to this extent. Even though he remains the most powerful force in the Digital World besides those of you here, it seems that he has still secreted away a massive army in a hidden base. I wonder why?" Leomon pondered, pulling at the hilt of his huge sword.  
"If you ask me, the guy is just a big sissy. I mean look at the way he hides. He can't really be that powerful." Ogremon picked his huge fangs with one claw.  
"I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you Ogremon." Joe looked momentarily dead serious. "Jim told me what happened the last time we encountered him. He was so powerful he almost overwhelmed one of the most powerful Megas in existence even though there were two Ultimates against him as well. He's really top of the line. We need a plan."  
"No." Tai turned to them impatiently. "We need to go get him. Surprise ought to do the trick. It will get him. I know it."  
"Well, now would be a good time to find out." Izzy muttered as he watched their leader move purposefully toward the door. "Piximon, let's go."  
"I have a bad feeling about this." Joe remarked to nobody in particular, but almost everybody seemed to agree with him.  
  
"So which way?" Yolei asked.  
"Over there, through that door." Ken pointed. "There might be guards on the other side though." The plain metal corridor was sterile, looking like something out of a hospital, or a science fiction movie. There was very little to evidence the existence of the traditional Japanese architecture, but there did not need to be. Everywhere the presence of modern technology loomed, in the shifting lights in the mysterious displays on the wall, in the modern lighting, in the mysterious flooring.  
"We'll take care of them." TK muttered, hefting his staff carefully. Veemon and Gatomon stepped up to his side.  
"All right, once we're through, run down the hall towards our right. There should be a set of stairs there that we can use."  
"So how do we get through the door?" Yolei asked.  
"On the count of three. Gatomon and TK, take the left. Veemon and I will take the right. Armadillomon, you and Davis and Hawkmon take care of anything or anybody still hanging around. Okay?" Ken tensed.  
"Right." Davis did not look at all upset as Ken usurped his leadership position, giving his friend a thumbs-up.  
"One." Ken tensed, his fists clenching, his breaths becoming shorter.  
"Two." Gatomon and Veemon were already tensed up, Patamon clearly preparing to follow them in after the first rush went off. TK took a deep breath.  
"Three!" Ken yelled.  
Fortunately the door was unlocked, and they burst into the midst of two guards, one a confused looking Woodmon, the other a temperamental RedVeggiemon. Doubly fortunate was the fact that the guards appeared to be unprepared for their assault. The surprised looks on their faces spoke volumes.  
TK did not give the Woodmon time to recover. His staff landed perfectly on the middle of the guard's head. The wooden digimon glared at them from between crossed eyes before collapsing into an unconscious heap. From the sounds at the other side, Ken was having a similar experience. It was only then that TK allowed his gaze to rise and see the Veggiemon standing off to the side, mouth open in an expression of horror. A second later the enemy digimon was running off, in a hurry to alert the guards.  
TK gave chase instinctively, understanding that he had no choice but to try and stop the other digimon before their surprise was ruined, but he instinctively knew that he was too slow. Then behind him, Davis' voice could be heard shouting:  
"V Rocket attack!"  
The sound of it was so startling that TK turned around just to see what was going on. In that single moment Veemon, in what was clearly a rehearsed move, hurled himself up, curving down in front of Davis like a cannonball. Davis drew himself back and then, hurling himself forward as fast as possible kicked Veemon like a soccer ball as hard as he could. There was a moment of complete shock, followed by the rushing vision of Veemon shooting by in a blur. A split second later, as he was hurtling through the hallway like a rocket the blue lizard cried out:  
"V-Head Butt!"  
The Veggiemon had turned to see what was happening behind him, only in time to receive the full power of a hyper-charged Veemon right in the face, sending him flying at least fifteen meters down the hallway and into a wall, knocking him unconscious.  
"Wow." TK muttered.  
"I wish I had one of those." Patamon admitted.  
"So that's what you've been working on!" Ken exclaimed, thumping Davis' shoulder. "I like it!"  
"So do I! Think they'll call me 'The Rocket' now?" Davis grinned a grin that could have swallowed a small cow.  
"Maybe one day superstar." Ken admitted.  
"Let's get going before someone else finds us." The ever-serious Cody suggested, and they were off again.  
  
Sora had not been lying or exaggerating. Whole squadrons of Mamemon, Mechanorimon and other powerful Digimon gathered around the plain metal walls of the secure room. Pairs of guards watched every doorway, but the elevator itself was open invitingly. It too was huge, perhaps to scale with this grand structure, seemingly large enough to hold an entire army.  
The group, still masked by Piximon crept their way slowly through the guards, each step seeming to be a little slower than the last step, every guard seeming to be straining their senses in the direction of the invisible digidestined. Several times a huge guard had wandered dangerously near, only to be avoided at the last second. Even Leomon and Piximon were sweating bullets by now as they crept.  
The strain of trying to be both completely silent and unheard, and, at the same time, get through the room as fast as possible, were beginning to put a strain on the children still trying to hold their breaths. Every movement seemed prepared to betray them. Every moment seemed ripe for them to be give away.  
It was with great relief that they made if to the doors of the elevator.  
  
"V Head Butt!"  
The door exploded inward, off its hinges. The only inhabitant of the room, a lone Bakemon, was struck by the door and knocked unconscious almost immediately as the power of the Rookie's strike, now enhanced by a hyper-inflated ego, battered the small Champion nearly into unrecognizability.  
"Through here?" Cody pointed to a trapdoor set into the floor.  
"I think so. If my reasoning is correct, that's the maintenance shaft that should lead downward. I hope the scanner is active."  
"Then go fast." Kari looked around nervously, hugging her own shoulders. "There's no way that those unconscious guards or burst doors are going to remain unnoticed forever."  
"I was getting to that. Gatomon, Patamon and TK go first. We'll bring up the rear." Ken glanced urgently over his shoulder, but nobody seemed to have picked up on the full scale assault on the castle currently underway.  
TK smiled grimly and dropped out of sight.  
  
"So now what?" Mimi wanted to know as they made it into the elevator.  
"We wait." Tai whispered. "Sooner or later somebody has to use this, and then we can use it to ride with them, completely hidden, up to the top floor."  
With a suddenness that nearly gave them all heart attacks, the doors slid shut, and there was a gentle lurch as the elevator moved upward, raising to the top of the fortified tower. For a moment there was panic, but when nothing emerged to attack them, the group quickly regained control over their frayed nerves. Palmon's eyes were a bit large, and Tentomon was buzzing a bit more frantically than usual, it was true, but other than that, it appeared the elder contingent of the Digidestined was still functional and ready to go.  
"What's happening?" Joe gasped after a few seconds in which he felt that old familiar panic re-emerge. "What's going on?"  
"I think that Daemon is going to use the elevator himself." Izzy remarked, barely managing to keep his emotions in check. The suddenness of the unexpected event had not done his nerves any favor either. "He probably called it upstairs to use it. We got aboard it right in time."  
"Good." Tai's voice was devoid of any emotion besides anger. "That fool is taking us right to him. If he thinks he can mess with my sister, this is how he finds out differently."  
Nobody else seemed to share his optimistic appraisal of the situation.  
"Why is it," Joe asked for no particular reason. "that I have a really bad feeling about this?"  
  
"So now what?" TK asked as they faced the blank wall. "Veemon can't batter his way through that."  
"He won't have to." Ken responded. "We have bigger digimon here."  
"But our Champions won't be able to hide." Cody pointed out.  
"Cody, if we break through this wall we'll be right in MachineDramon's headquarters, practically in his face if I'm correct. What are we going to hide then?"  
"Good point." Yolei remarked.  
"Stingmon can cut through the walls. Then we can let the artillery out into the open."  
"Right behind you boss." Wormmon grinned.  
"Wormmondigivolves toStingmon."  
"Ready for this?" Ken asked.  
TK squeezed Kari's hand gently. "Ready."  
"Let's go Stingmon."  
  
The elevator stopped as suddenly as it had started, depositing the startled team of digidestined on a narrow landing on the edge of a fairly long room. Everywhere the room was decorated with fine furnishings, glowing in the lights that played down gently from above. It would have looked like the idealized image of a Victorian country club, except for the huge selection of data screens that loomed everywhere, displaying images of different portions of the world.  
Izzy gulped. From here Daemon could probably survey any part of the world which he wanted to, expanding his control exponentially. Every corner of the universe was his to command, his to control. It was positively disturbing to stand here and watch the kind of power that the demon lord digimon could put into the field. This equipment was superior even to the gear that had described in his stronghold as the Digimon Emperor. If information was a weapon, this was an arsenal of incredible power.  
Yet more worrisome were the glass display cages around the walls. Each case was covered with a variety of different symbols. Although the young computer genius could not decipher the writing, or determine the functions of the widely varying objects a sixth sense warned him that every object in the room was filled with power and potential of the most devastating variety. He had no idea on how to counter any of the objects there, but apparently Daemon did. The lack of his knowledge concerning the Digital World became immediately apparent.  
Even though all this was completely fascinating to Izzy all the others were worried about something else. The rooms were constructed so that this appeared to be the central meeting area for everything, and you could see corridors stretching in all directions. And everywhere they looked curtains hung limply and loosely, allowing silence to reign. If Daemon was anywhere in the building it appeared that he was no longer here.  
"So where is he?" Joe asked a bit nervously. "I thought he would be waiting for the elevator to take him down."  
"I don't know." Agumon responded, looking around puzzled.  
"Maybe he ran away when he knew we were coming." Matt responded in a sarcastic tone of voice.  
There was a harsh, mocking laugh at that coming from directly behind them. All fifteen of them whirled to look behind only to find that there, staring directly at them through the hazy fog of the Digital Barrier, was Daemon. He was once more the size of Leomon and Ogremon, his wings folded, his robes flapping around him like tattered banners in a torrential wind. His burning eyes peered at them without any seeming effort. One clawed hand rose and waved almost dripping with boredom, and the digital barrier shattered into a thousand fragments.  
"So there you are. I was wondering if you had decided not to visit with me after all. It would have been wiser, but I would have been so bored." Daemon looked at them like they were only specimens under a cover slip.  
"What was it," Joe asked tentatively, "that you said about surprise Tai?"  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*Here, according to the Citadel Dictionary of Slang Terms which sits on the bookshelf in my subconscious, are the definitions to those other terms.  
  
Hey, He's Got No Pants: In Digimon: The Movie, when Gargomon first digivolves Willis notes that "He's got pants now." This is the reverse.  
Mammothmon stampede: See pancake-shaped  
Pancake Shaped: Words used to a describe a situation which has a high probability of the commentator ending up approximating a two dimensional surface (i.e. stomped into a pancake).  
Second Syllable Retreat: An observation on the show Dragonball Z that states that the Me in Kame Hame Ha is a good time to get the heck out of Dodge.  
At Least It Can't Get Any Worse: Yes it can, and it just did.  
The Stairs are Out: Words said by Justice to Courage after opening a door to run down the stairs, only to fall six stories onto a concrete slab.  
First Floor Window Rule: When you opt to escape from an unfamiliar building by jumping out the first floor window, the street will always have fallen off to the level of at least the basement, causing you to land hard and break your legs.  
No-Pupil Syndrome: Observation that in any show/comic where the users can wield strong powers the replacement of pupils and eyes by slits of fire overflowing with power in the shape of lightning bolts is always a bad sign.  
  



	6. First Strike

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or its associated products. I do not intend to gain any profits from the creation of this work. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between characters in this work and people I do not know is purely coincidental.   
  
  


**Episode XIX  
First Strike**  
_  
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.   
Don Stanford  
  
"Hey! You're going the wrong way!"  
Yamato Ishida to Garurmon, First battle for Odaiba_  
  


MachineDramon's lair, or his command center, as he preferred to think of it as, was always a little quiet, filled with the steady buzz of lower ranking digimon running around doing tasks. Now, with the latest break-in and assault, possibly the work of those nosy digidestined brats, it seemed that everyone was trying to stay calm and quiet, tiptoeing their way around the boss. Nobody wanted to be the focus of a sudden explosion of the boss' temper that was liable to turn into a real explosion.  
Well, nobody except for the giant green insect busy carving his way through the back of the room.  
There was only a moment for the variety of Mamemon who normally manned the stations to react between the emergence of the two glowing pink swords from the wall, and the collapse of the protective layer. There was a fraction of a second more before the digimon was in their midst, chopping them to pieces with careless abandon. It took a few seconds for anyone to react, and then the small gang of Champions was out the door, not willing to interfere in a clash of titans.  
In the distance alarms howled, but inside, there was a momentary silence as the dust cleared and the massive bulk of MachineDramon turned to survey his latest opponents.  
"Go! Go! Go!" Ken howled, and they went.  
"Hawkmondigivolves toAquilamon!"  
"Aquilamondigivolves toSilphymon!" The Ultimate shot upward, clearing the desks effortlessly. In a smaller room the ceiling would have been shattered, but MachineDramon had designed this room to fit him, and Silphymon fit quite comfortably inside the towering structure.  
"Armadillomondigivolves toAnkylomon!"  
"Ankylomondigivolves toShakkuomon!"  
With the massive metallic titan inside the room the gigantic proportions seemed to shrink rapidly, reducing the room from huge to merely comfortable. Shakkuomon loomed above everything, a tower of strength.  
"ExVeemon.DNA Digivolve toPaildramon!"  
Paildramon floated up on his own power, guns up and charging with power.  
"Gatomondigivolves toAngewomon!"   
"Patamondigivolves toAngemon!"  
Angemon and Angewomon just floated in midair, staring at the giant Mega Digimon. Their faces were expressionless, but the gathering energy storming toward them was not. It gleamed of Light and all things holy, burning the air itself.  
"Angemon, TK, Kari, Angewomon, keep the other guards off of us. We'll handle this guy." Ken barked, pointing.  
TK raised an eyebrow but refused to challenge Ken, quickly turning and running off toward the gigantic door with the two angels and a girl in tow.  
"We stay out of this." Ken told the others. "This is too big for us."  
  
"Daemon!" Everyone gasped.  
"Now, attack!" Tai yelled, and not seeing any other choice, the others obeyed.  
"Agumondigivolves toGreymon!"  
"Gabumondigivolves toGarurumon!"  
"Biyomondigivolves toBirdramon!"  
"Birdramondigivolves toGarudamon!"  
The first three hurled themselves at the diminutive Mega. For a moment everything was a mess of bolts of red force and gashes of fire, and then all three of them were hurled back out of the blaze toward the others. But the remaining digimon had taken advantage of that momentary disturbance, and Daemon was faced with three newly digivolved Ultimates as the battle escalated suddenly.  
Zudomon's hammer descended like the wrath of the sky, but Daemon used a force beam to deflect it into a nearby wall. That act cost him enough attention that Lilymon's Flower Cannon snuck through his defenses, blasting him back against the wall. MegaKabuterimon's Horn Buster almost nailed him into place, but the evil Mega simply held up his hand, and the huge blast careened off.  
"We're a little tight in here." Garudamon complained as she rolled back onto her feet, wings breaking cracks in the ceiling.  
"Oh, are your wings getting ruffled?" Daemon asked quickly. "Why don't I do something about that?"  
There was a sudden concussion as the roof blew off of the building.  
"And now, why don't I do something about you?" Daemon asked evilly as the others leapt at him.  
  
For a moment it looked as if MachineDramon would say something to them, but then he simply lowered his head and charged. The tactic was simple and effective, because the Mega's strength guaranteed that he could slam his largest and most unwieldy opponent Shakkuomon into the wall. It was a clever move, immobilizing the muscles of his most physically powerful foe, and launching a deadly first strike that could have easily taken Shakkuomon out of the fight, leaving the Mega to deal with his more mobile but less powerful adversaries. The mere shock value would have crushed any normal group of humans with their digimon companions.  
But MachineDramon was facing members of the most experienced digidestined team on Earth.  
Two eyes narrowed down into slits, the light emerging from them transforming from pale white to bright red. In the lower kilt lights flared rapidly around in a circle, and a small circular port opened, revealing deadly cargo waiting inside. And then, before MachineDramon had a chance to do anything except recognize the sudden changes, Shakkuomon unleashed two attacks at once, and literally emptied his entire arsenal into the unfortunate ruler.  
"Kachina Bombs! Harmonious Spirit!"  
The two blasts did not do much effective damage other than scratching MachineDramon's finish. It did however lift the Mega off of his feet and send him cascading backwards, ending his attempt to win the battle by a technical knockout in the first move. Both of the huge digimon regained their footing slowly, rising again to battle. And in the interim, Silphymon and Paildramon swept in to deliver their firepower and really get things rolling.  
  
MegaKabuterimon and Garudamon burst through into the sky immediately, gaining them some maneuvering room, but the others stayed level with their foe. There was a series of motions as Greymon and Garurumon threw themselves forward once more, but this time they were battered away with barely a thought and then it was the turn of the Ultimates again.  
This time there was no hesitation and no tactical disadvantage. Every Ultimate and Champion powered up almost simultaneously and unleashed a devastating salvo that nearly brought the tower to its knees.  
"Horn Buster!"  
"Vulcan's Hammer!"  
"Flower Cannon!"  
"Wing Blade!"  
"Pit Bomb!"  
"Pummel Whack!"  
"Fist of the Beast King!"  
The explosions rocked the very palace itself. For a moment Sora was afraid that the result might knock the building off of its foundations. Fire and lightning mixed and matched, blasting death in all directions. Yet, when it faded, there was Daemon, hardly looking more than phased.  
"That's not a good sign, is it?" Matt asked as they looked the Mega up and down.  
"No, not really."  
"Everybody attack!" Tai yelled, and their digimon threw themselves obediently forward. Daemon reacted, almost looking bored, his actions clearly demonstrating his disdain for the events happening around him. With a single wave of his hand a wall of force blasted those moving to attack him, sending them flying back toward the distant horizon in fury of force beams. The raw power seemed to momentarily stun the digimon facing him, and Daemon smirked.  
"Now we're in trouble." Joe muttered.  
  
TK stood waiting for the charge at the doorway to battle.  
Angemon and Angewomon floated in midair above the center of the corridor, waiting for the attack that they could sense coming, but could not yet see. Beside him Kari also stood, loose and ready for the battle ahead.  
In the distance there was the pounding of footsteps as heavy digimon began to thread their way nearer. Fortunately the building had been constructed with a bunker mentality, and the huge passage leading there gave the defenders every advantage, as any attackers from above would have to pass into the giant hallway from a number of different directions, causing confusion in their ranks.  
"You ready?" Kari asked after a moment.  
"Sure am." TK hefted the staff one more time, feeling its comforting weight settle in his hands. He exhaled quickly and deeply, attempting to clear his longs for the coming confrontation.  
"TK." Angemon's voice was deeper. "I know you've helped in the past but this may be a bit over your heads."  
"I agree." Angewomon responded. "It would be wise for you to retreat at this point. Withdraw at our signal."  
"I'm not leaving." TK insisted stubbornly.  
"You can't be the hero here." Kari touched him on the arm with a light, gentle touch. "You'll only get in the way. Don't risk your life trying to interfere in the jobs of others."  
TK smiled reluctantly, showing that he agreed with his friend's thoughts, even if he did not particularly enjoy the logical conclusion. With practiced ease he brought the staff down again, leaning on it heavily as he smiled to the two angels.  
"Thanks TK." Angemon told him, just as the first wave rounded the corner.  
A group of Mekanorimon tramped in, clearly serving as the assault troops, a mobile battle shield protecting those in the rear ranks. They attempted to cover their unprepared assault by firing a massive barrage of Twin Beams as they rounded the corners from all directions.  
Around the two angels the barricades that Machinedramon had set up to protect himself from the encroaching enemy served their purpose admirably. Incoming blasts of energy and fire were quickly diverted away, blasting harmlessly against heavy metal alloys, scouring paint and burning off the mirror-like shine of some of the chunks of armor, but the fortifications erected to protect his lair, huge blocks of metallic armor blockading the passage, remained untouched.  
"Hand of Fate!"  
"Celestial Arrow!"  
Two different blasts of white hot energy ripped toward the enemy, the force savaging the first Mekanorimon they hit, denting armor and shaking up internal components, driving the unstoppable digimon backwards. In instants red blasts and white were criss-crossing the region, blasting holes in walls and armor as the battle was truly joined.  
  
"Split up! Air attack!" Paildramon roared as he soared away from the backblast of his own attack, floating backwards effortlessly on his wings and his own internal power. At the pre-arranged signal the other two Ultimates also wafted away, putting distance between themselves and their targets.  
"Desperado Blasters!" Paildramon went into rapid fire mode, and let his rapid-fire attack put a crimp in Machinedramon's plans. Paildramon did not have a powerful attack, in fact it was rather weak, but it was fast. He could fire more shots in a minute than a squadron of other digimon, and he was trying to make every one of those count.  
"Static Force!" Silphymon used a blast of concussive force to physically hurl the Mega backwards before soaring off out of range of counterattack.  
"Kachina Bombs!" This time the razor edged serrated blades did not just fly at Machinedramon, they actually circled overhead before turning around and slamming back down, battering at the Mega with astounding force.  
"Not bad." Machinedramon gasped while the Ultimates let their energy recover for their next set of attacks. "But try this! Giga Blaster!"  
The blasts of yellow energy were horribly inaccurate, but they did not need to be accurate. The explosions from them bracketed the maneuvering Silphymon, shaking the unfortunate digimon like a cork in a storm. For a moment Silphymon just hung there, and then his image plunged to the ground.  
"That's more like it. Dragon Fire!" For a moment Machinedramon's huge claw loomed over the form of the recovering Ultimate, and then there was a sudden flicker of movement before he could strike.  
"Cable Captor!" Paildramon reached out with his grapnels, hooking Machinedramon's deadly attack and diverting it enough so that the Mega did nothing more but hammer harmlessly into the floor. At the same time Paildramon gasped with the effort needed to divert that strike, panting as his muscles tried to fail him all at once. Machinedramon simply raised his claw and threw it violently toward the wall. Paildramon, still attached via his grapnels, was hurled into the wall with enough force to knock him temporarily senseless.  
And the Shakkuomon was there, locking arms with the Mega. Machinedramon might have been a Mega, but that did not guarantee his victory in a struggle of purely physical dimensions. It appeared that all of the training that Armadillomon and Cody had been doing was paying off, because the huge metal titans held firm for a moment, both struggling against each other. If they had possessed sweat glands huge rivers of the stuff would have been rolling down their skins, but both of them refused to back down.  
"Get up!" Yolei screamed as a woozy Silphymon got to his feet.  
"Come on!" Davis yelled.  
"You can do it!" Ken screamed.  
Paildramon staggered upright and looked at the battle. The two struggling digimon were still going strong, but it looked like Shakkuomon was weakening. His huge metal arms were beginning to tremble, and his eyes were starting to move wildly.  
"Go!" Paildramon's two partners screamed as one. Their crests flared, for the first time acting in concert, and the colors mixed in a swirling rainbow, resolving into a sudden flash of brilliant white color as the two urged their warrior on.  
"Paildramonmega digivolve to  
Everyone stopped what they were doing as they held their breath in anticipation. From the corner where Paildramon had been standing there was a flash of light, which quickly resolved into a huge figure, bearing a huge cannon on his back, eyes flaring an angry red. As the light solidified the mammoth-sized warrior digimon shook off his ephemeral nature and roared into battle, thundering over the earth with huge claws, knocking Machinedramon aside.  
"ImperialDramon!"  
"Now that's more like it!" Davis yelled, trying to encourage his partner.  
"It's a whole new ballgame now." Ken admitted.  
  
Daemon threw Garurumon off one more time, and this time the wolf transformed back into Gabumon before anyone could do anything.  
"Were at a serious disadvantage!" Izzy yelled at the others. "Our digimon are starting to run low on energy. We've got to do something."  
"Tell us something we don't know!" Sora responded anxiously as Garudamon was knocked from the sky by a single one of Daemon's force beams, sweeping the sky like a searchlight.  
"I would but I can't" Izzy responded.  
"Horn Buster!" MegaKabuterimon responded to Daemon's provocation, meeting another force beam head on. The attacks neatly canceled, but even the legendary stamina of Izzy's partner digimon was clearly beginning to flag, the insectoid looking as if he was having problems staying in the sky.  
"We can't give up." Tai muttered to himself, but nobody was listening anymore. All around him he could hear the crash of his friends trying their hardest, fighting a battle he had recklessly lead them into, but he could do nothing, nothing, to stop it. For a moment he realized how overpowered they were, how much trouble they were in, as the attacks started again. Daemon was not even tiring yet, and their digimon were exhausted.  
A voice in the depths of Tai's mind began to whisper the truth, that he was getting them all killed.  
"Now!" Piximon yelled.  
With a sudden ferocity that belied their supposed Champion level status, Leomon and Ogremon leapt into the fray, fists and weapons moving furiously. Leomon chopped madly at anything that he could hit, sword cutting deep into the cloth covering Daemon's body, teeth bared in ferocious concentration. Ogremon was howling savagely, club whirling and fist flying, launching more attacks than anyone would ever have thought possible. For a moment Daemon was sent reeling under the combined attacks of the two Champions, temporarily staggered by the sheer volume of the confrontation, and the repeated blows raining in on him. But only for a moment.  
"Enough!" He cried, and the two Champions were blasted off in a furious rush of energy. Only then did Daemon look up into the second part of Piximon's hastily assembled plan.  
"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon howled. He had used the momentary advantage that Ogremon and Leomon had provided to sneak steadily closer to his opponent, and now he brought his hammer down with all the force he could bear, slamming his blow into his foe as hard as he possibly could. Daemon collapsed under the blow hammered flat into the ground, pounded out like a pancake.  
"Horn Buster!" MegaKabuterimon blasted off one last shot.  
"Flower Cannon!" Lilymon soared in for the kill, flitting off to one side and lowering her deadly cannon.  
"Wing Blade!" Garudamon lofted skyward, sending one last driving blast down at the fallen leader.  
"Pit Bomb!" This version of Piximon's attack was especially vicious, and it left a huge hole in the ground.  
"Nova Blast!" Greymon fired off one huge ball of flame before de-digivolving back into Agumon.  
"All right!" Tai yelled.  
"We did it!" Sora agreed.  
"I tire of this foolishness! It's time to end this game. Evil Inferno!" From the ground beneath Zudomon's hammer a wave of flame burst out. After a handful of moments that barely comprised the beat of a heart, Gomamon came flying out, landing crumpled in Joe's arms. Daemon strode out of the flames, looking ruffled and extremely upset at this latest turn in events.  
"We can't lose." Tai whispered, but his words sounded hollow, even to himself.  
  
"Plan?" TK asked tersely under his breath as he and Kari hid together behind a huge metal bulwark, trying to keep out of the way. Above him he could hear the whine as bolts of red fire leapt overhead, countered by the occasional shots of their two angels working together in tandem.  
"Working on it." Kari muttered.  
"Wonderful." TK replied, and briefly stuck his head out to get a quick look at what was going on.  
Most of the Mekanorimon were down or injured thanks to the angels' extraordinary powers, but the angels must have been running a little low on power because the volume of fire they were directing at their enemy had slackened considerably. Now the crowd coming forward was different digimon, a squadron of rolling Tankmon making up the middle, backed by a group of Vilemon and RedVeggiemon on each side, each group trying to get up the middle to strike at their adversaries, but hampered by their need to let someone else go first.  
"Stalemate." TK replied as he drew his head back in.  
"Something's got to happen. We can't keep this up forever." Kari reminded him.  
"Let's see." TK muttered and closed his eyes. For a brief moment he was on the path to the Heart of the World, and power began to gather within him. Not much, but enough for what he needed. Then the blocks in his mind, and in the Heart itself activated, and the sparks of power died and were quickly extinguished in his grasp. Then there was only nothing left except the faint memory of what power felt like.  
"No dice." He responded as he opened his eyes.  
"We'll think of something." Kari laid a comforting hand on his arm, but even that was no longer comforting.  
  
"Giga Cannon!"  
"Positron Laser!"  
The two blasts met in midair and threw everyone backwards. By the time that Ken was able to pick himself off of the floor again the two Mega level digimon were locked in physical combat again, trying to shove the other back. Apparently the energy reserves they were drawing on for their attacks was limited now, because neither was using them.  
"Well, this is just great." Davis muttered as he tried to get back on his feet, overturning the desk that had fallen on him.  
"They're too equally matched." Cody observed.  
Unfortunately for the good guys the last explosion and the resulting shock wave had been just a little too much for the other digimon. Silphymon had managed to stagger back upright, but clearly was unable to add much to the conflict for some time. Shakkuomon was built to absorb energy, but even he looked beat, lying embedded in the wall unmoving.  
"It will take them a few moments to restore themselves to full strength." Ken noted analytically, while part of his mind was wondering how he could continue to be so calm.  
"How long?" Davis asked as he finally managed to get up.  
"I really don't know. We used a lot of power trying to overwhelm him earlier." Ken shrugged verbally and physically.  
"Aren't they stronger now?" Cody asked.  
"Judging from examination, I would say yes." Ken replied. "They've done at least three times as many attacks as they did against BlackWarGreymon, and we went as close to all out as we could have in that battle. They're certainly much stronger, but Machinedramon is no slacker. I don't know who will win."  
"Go ImperialDramon!" Davis yelled.  
"It's all up to you now." Yolei whispered.  
  
"We need to get out of here fast!" Izzy yelled.  
"We can't leave, we can't give up now! We have to" Tai began to protest.  
Matt did not even bother to reply. He exchanged a look with Izzy, and then slammed Tai in the temple as hard as he could. Tai immediately collapsed and went limp, but Matt picked him up, staggering under the weight.  
"So now what?" Matt asked the computer genius.  
"MegaKabuterimon!" Izzy howled. "It's time to go!"  
As a huge barrage laid down on Daemon continued to blind the angry Mega the others quickly boarded the huge red insect. Scrambling up the sides of the smooth shell, trying to ignore the sporadic explosions coming from behind them, six children, three rookies and two champions scrambled rapidly aboard.  
"No, it's time to go!" Izzy pointed forward and slowly, ponderously, MegaKabuterimon rose up. Power began to build as the Ultimate sped away from the castle, but it felt like moving through solid lead.  
"We're going to slow!" Mimi shouted.  
"Everyone, get ready." Leomon turned around from where Matt was feeding Gabumon an emergency shot of day-old bread.  
"Ahhhh." A scream faded off as Lilymon de-digivolved to Palmon and landed in Mimi's arms. A second later there was a flash and then a de-digivolved and exhausted looking Biyomon was lying there too.  
"You may be able to fly faster than me." The confident voice of Daemon sounded a little raspy now. "But you can't outfly this. Evil Inferno!"  
"Try to stop it!" Leomon howled to the others. "Fist of the Beast King!"  
"Pummel Whack!"  
"Blue Blaster!"  
"Pepper Breath!"  
"Digital Barrier maximum power!" Piximon held his staff in trembling paws, a barrier blocking the depleted firestorm for a moment, deflecting it around the beetle they were riding. For the moments in which he held the barrier they used it like a jet, surfing off on the wave of force from behind. Then the flames died off and Daemon vanished, swallowed up by the distance. Even so, his last words rang in their ears.  
"Cat and mouse digidestined. Cat and mouse."  
  
"They're getting closer." Angemon rumbled deep in his chest. He was conserving energy now, waiting for the melee combat that was sure to come after this.  
"I know that Angemon." Angewomon returned, staring further down the passageway where the smaller Champion digimon were dodging from barrier to barrier in attempt to stay out of firing range.  
"Isn't this the time when one of us usually comes up with a brilliant idea?" TK asked, following in the footsteps of Joe so many years earlier.  
"I don't think we have one this time." Kari responded.  
From above they could hear the sounds of Angemon's staff striking solid flesh. It appeared that the battle had disintegrated into one of melee combat. Here the pressing weight of enemy numbers would quickly overwhelm the angels in combat.  
"Well, if we go, I just want to say that I love you." TK held Kari by the shoulders and looked seriously into her eyes.  
She blushed bright pink, and smiled up at him, temporarily banishing fear. "I love you too TK. And we'll both fight to the bitter end."  
"Let's go do some damage Kari." TK smiled at her. And then there was a warmth from his chest as golden light spilled outward, illuminating the room brightly, banishing shadows into the far distance. Time stood still as the golden radiance worked its way outward, its purpose both familiar and potent.  
"Angemondigivolves toMagnaAngemon!"  
TK had always believed that MagnaAngemon was almost a mega himself, being the most powerful Ultimate they had ever discovered. He had been enough to single-handedly hand setbacks to Piedmon, and his strength was so, to use Izzy's word, prodigious, that he had even stood even with BlackWarGreymon.  
Now the powerful Ultimate stood in midair, burning with golden radiance. He stood there, his huge purple sword, glowing with unearthly and heavenly energies extended from one arm, his wings haloing him as if he truly were descended from heaven. The helmet shielded him from revealing his expression, but from his posture, there was little doubt of the determination that would lurk within.  
"Gate of Destiny!" While the others stood there, watching in mute stupefaction, stunned by the sudden appearance of the Ultimate, he took advantage of the distraction. The sword traced a golden circle in the air, quickly resolving into a golden gate that rotated its way open. Suddenly the enemy guards were screaming, trying to get away, but to no avail. Patamon had once told TK that the Gate of Destiny called to all evil, and now those of evil intent were finding themselves in trouble. As the currents of power pulled them inside they let off horrible howls and devastating screams, but they had no effect on the angel's posture. As to what his expression was as an entire legion of troops was decimated, TK could only guess.  
"Wow." Kari could only say.  
"Good job partner." Angewomon floated down, looking a little tired, but MagnaAngemon barely moved.  
"There is still a battle to be fought." His voice was as deeply resonant as TK remembered, and it echoed as if he was in a cave instead of a hallway.  
"True." Angewomon admitted. "Let's go."  
  
"I'm tired." MegaKabuterimon sounded exhausted to tell the truth, his flight path dropping ever closer and closer to the ground. "Can't keep this up much longer."  
"Find a good place to crash." Izzy told him, and then turned back to the others. "Brace yourselves. We're going in a little fast."  
"Meadowlooks so nice" MegaKabuterimon's voice faded off.  
"Quickly!" Leomon shouted, and then he and Ogremon had grabbed the others, using themselves as shields to protect the more fragile humans. All Joe knew was that he was suddenly pressed into hard green skin a second before  
CRUNCH!  
MegaKabuterimon hit the ground like rock, skidding along for a handful of seconds before glowing brightly and returning to his form as Tentomon. This left the rest of the digidestined and company flying along and bouncing off of the ground as they tried to stop. Fortunately the meadow, though lined with mountain pines, was rather large, and they had plenty of time to stop.  
"I'm never going to move again." Leomon muttered after a while.  
"I don't think I can." Ogremon groaned.  
"We'll have to do something. Let's try and get through it together." Mimi had managed to stagger upright. Her landing had been cushioned by Joe, who was still in a state of shock.  
"That's a nice thought Mimi." Izzy grumbled after a while. "But we're in no shape to do anything right now."  
"Are we all alright?" Biyomon groaned after a moment.  
Mimi did a quick count. "I think we are, but Tai's still out cold."  
"That's no problem at the moment." Matt groaned and sat up, quickly holding his head. "If he's still in one piece we'll do fine."  
"So what now?" Sora wanted to know.  
Suddenly, without any warning, a voice roared out of the distant clouds. "You may have escaped me for now digidestined, but I'll soon have you again within my clutches."  
"How about we get out of here. Now." Mimi suggested.  
  
ImperialDramon grunted in anger, impotent rage feeding the furnace of his enraged battle prowess. His main weapon, his back mounted cannon was now unable to bear on his enemy. Machinedramon, quickly analyzing the risk that the other Mega meant, had charged rapidly, slamming into his opponent, and forcing the cannon to point upward, toward the ceiling. Now both digimon struggled hand to hand, body to body, their weapons unable to bear on each other. Machinedramon had the advantage, as his attack had forced ImperialDramon to tilt back, making his front legs wave off of the ground, almost rendering him useless. Without the leverage provided by his normal frame ImperialDramon was terribly off balance.  
"Go for it ImperialDramon!" Yolei howled. "Teach that joker a lesson."  
"It's not working, is it?" Davis whispered quietly to Ken.  
"We need some way of distracting Machinedramon enough for ImperialDramon to finish this off. Machinedramon has to be running low on power by now, but if ImperialDramon can't bring his firepower to bear, nothing is going to matter." Ken replied just as quietly.  
"Come on guys, wake up!" Yolei yelled at their recumbent Ultimates.  
Silphymon struggled forward a few steps, and then fell down again, this time de-digivolving back into Hawkmon, who looked positively exhausted. Shakkuomon did not look much better, still not moving.   
"Come on Shakkuomon. Don't give up now." Cody pleaded, but his pleas were not enough to reenergize his companion.  
"ImperialDramon, it's up to you now!" Davis yelled.  
"You've got to get him to shift his weight." Ken shouted.  
But at that moment the tenuous balance shifted. Machinedramon managed to leverage his opponent up far enough that he was even more vulnerable, and no longer able to fight back properly. Now, his footholds removed ImperialDramon acted like a giant turtle, about to be flipped on his back, and helpless to prevent this.  
"Go, go!" a muttered prayer, but there was nothing Ken could do before ImperialDramon was tilted over and rolled onto his back  
As the huge Mega hit the ground, struggling to get back upwards, Machinedramon recoiled backward, raising his fanged visage to the heavens in a scream of primal fury. For a moment Ken stared spellbound as the huge Mega loomed over his fallen defender, back arched and howling to the sky. Then the moment passed, but Machinedramon was still strangely enough still howling at the sky. After a moment of confusion, Ken stared at the others, but they were watching this spectacle in shock.  
Then Machinedramon pitched forward, and the problem became immediately apparent. There, on Machinedramon's back, right where the power cables attached themselves to the tremendous Giga Cannons, was MagnaAngemon. His purple sword, energies in the shape of brilliant lightning bolts running down it, was anchoring firmly to Machinedramon's exposed vitals, and for a few precious seconds it was clear that the angel had damaged the Mega, perhaps fatally. But then Machinedramon seemed to get his senses back under control again, and threw himself forward, knocking MagnaAngemon forward again. The angel merely disengaged, flying off with a gust of wind from his eight wings, putting distance between himself and his enraged opponent.  
Machinedramon looked around with glaring eyes to find his attacker, but froze at a new sight. With the help of Angewomon, ImperialDramon had righted himself once more, and now stood facing his enemy, eyes blazing a ferocious red. Beams of energy from all over the world were gathering at the muzzle of the mighty cannon he carrier, and the awesome jaws were already parted to deliver the death sentence.  
"Positron Laser!"  
Blasts of fire in the form of elemental destruction focused themselves on the powerhouse to the laser, until that same fire burst forth in a tidal wave of destruction. A triangularly shaped beam of death spewed from the housing of the cannon, pitching forward and blasting directly at the heart of Machinedramon. The mutant machine jerked backwards in shock, but this time he was also propelled by the fire of his adversary, and that fire spelled death. There was a flash of brilliant light, and then an explosion, and then the Mega level digimon was no more.  
"All right!" Davis jumped three feet up in the air as ImperialDramon disappeared in a flash of light and returned to two in-training digimon. They were soon joined by a crowed of exhausted rookies and one tired champion, only to be grabbed and hugged joyfully by a full set of humans.  
"We did it." Ken smiled.  
"We sure did." TK responded.  
"So what next?" Yolei asked.  
"Hopefully we finish this." Kari responded grimly.  
"Once and for all." Davis looked outward grimly, his eyes fixed on the invisible presence of Khartan.  



	7. Dodging the Bullet

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine. Still.  
Author's Note: I apologize for the length which you were kept waiting for this, but the truth is that I've been really busy. Plus, I've been having major revision problems as well, so I'm having to coordinate things as best I can. Please bear with me. I should be done _writing_ the series by November, which means that the rest of the episodes might be coming out in fairly short order. If you have any comments, feel free to send them, and remember that reviews are always welcome.  
  
**

Episode XX  
Dodging the Bullet

**  
  
_ "Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant."   
-Horace   
  
"Fall seven times, stand up eight."   
-Japanese Proverb_  
  
"Let's get out of here." Izzy pointed away.  
"I can carry Tai." Leomon rumbled, some of the edge having returned to his low and deep voice as the color gradually returned to his fur.  
"So how much trouble are we in?" Mimi asked.  
"A lot." Agumon replied shortly.  
"That's about normal." Gomamon sounded better, but hardly up to a fight.  
"Well, I figure we're about to be chased down and killed." Izzy responded.  
"Daemon is sure to send out his Vilemon hordes after us. They're fast enough that they have the ability to track us and overwhelm us with numbers." Piximon looked around in some concern at their ragged party.  
"Then our advantage is that individually we're fighting an enemy who is quite weak, correct?" Izzy asked.  
"Well, yes." Piximon responded, lost in thought.  
"Then what manner do you suggest we utilize in gaining the advantage?" Izzy continued, as if solving logic puzzled back in school.  
"Well, if we're functioning as a team now" Sora stared at the two of them. "I think we have a plan we can use."  
  
"So now what?" Yolei kicked a rock with her foot and sat down in the remains of one of the upstairs bedrooms, clearly suffering the aftereffects of the earlier battle downstairs.  
"I really don't know." Ken responded truthfully.  
"Well, Khartan." Davis pointed out.  
"True, but how?" Ken wanted to know. "We need some more planning."  
"Well, first thing tomorrow we take a look around this place." Kari replied, hovering closer to the fire and shivering. Without Machinedramon and the vast army of servants that had fled the castle with the defeat of their master, there was no power anywhere. Ken and Davis had scouted out a different tower-like building, close to the treeline, farther out from the castle for them to live in for an evening, fearful of the arrival of reinforcements.  
"So what now?" Yolei asked again.  
"Sleep. We're all a little tired Yolei, and our digimon are exhausted." TK pointed out.  
"Oh, right."  
"Sweet dreams everyone." Kari whispered as she closed her eyes.  
"Just remember." TK muttered, as exhaustion overcame him as well. "Remember that we beat one of the bad guys tonight in a major way. Tomorrow is the start of a new day."  
  
_Nighttime normally belongs to the darkness. Tonight we make it ours._ Izzy's voice echoed relentlessly in Joe's head, refusing to give the elder digidestined any peace.   
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Gomamon asked one more time, looking concerned at his partner's reluctance to enter the battle ahead.  
"It's not like I have a choice." He muttered in return.  
"Both of you be quiet. I could have heard you a mile away." Ogremon, returned to his usual self, responded like normal, making Joe smile inadvertently.  
"So, what did they bring?" Gomamon tried to peer upward, but his lack of height was now working against him.  
"The usual crowd for a forest. You know them. Vilemon, with some local Woodmon, Bakemon and RedVeggiemon. None of whom are a match for me." Ogremon stopped looking around and ducked down again. "All we have to do is take care of them before they know what hits them."  
"Right. That's your job. I think we just sightsee." Joe responded.  
There was the sound of something reasonably heavy beginning to make its way through the brush nearby. Immediately everyone froze and almost held their breath in anticipation of what was coming next.  
"Here they come." Ogremon whispered unnecessarily to the other two waiting beside them. But the first Bakemon from the group was floating overhead, almost ignoring where he was going while trying to peer further into the dark forest.  
He made it to the first trap, right on time.  
Joe unleashed the branch he had been holding back, and the long, thing whippy piece of willow lashed back like a whip, catching the white ghost directly in the center of his chest. The blow knocked the wind out of the ghost, sending him sprawling backwards head over what counted as heels.  
"What? Get them!" Somebody shouted in the background. They made it all the way up to Joe before Ogremon leapt on them, screaming his own war cry. By that time the Bakemon and Vilemon were too close to fight properly, and the more powerful digimon made hash out of them.  
"Well," Joe stood up as the last of the Vilemon toppled to the ground. "Now what?"  
"We go get somebody else." Gomamon responded.  
  
"Somebody, anybody, help me!"  
The first squadron of Vilemon paused in place, hearing sounds that were not normally associated with the forest, the sounds of a voice that did not sound like any digimon they knew.  
"Is it one of them?" The one who held the rank approximating that of sergeant wondered.  
"I can't think who else would be wandering around at this time of night." The leader snapped. Being out in the dark in these trees was beginning to make him feel a bit uneasy. He was supposed to be an evil digimon, perfectly at home in the dark, but he could not see _anything_, blast it!  
"Move out troops." The sergeant wave the troop forwards, and they floated slowly off in the correct direction, wings barely beating. All of them, unknowing or not, were sharing their leaders dislike for this particular place, after all, it was difficult to see anything, and if these creatures could actually challenge Daemon, the Vilemon wanted no part of it.  
"Somebody help!" The scream was definitely female, and it sounded fairly desperate. For a moment it was even haunting, coming from all around, and then the patrol emerged in a forest clearing, illuminated by moonlight coming in from above. There, in one corner was a girl, a human female, in a pink shirt and jeans, trying to free herself from what looked like a huge lump of bramble.  
"The others." She gasped at them, seeming not to care about the fact that they were hunting her. "Those morons! They just left me here when I got stuck. Help! I can't get out. Don't leave me here all night in this scary forest." She raised her one free hand in what was clearly a pleading gesture.  
The two head Vilemon looked at each other and shrugged, as if to say to each other that they were both confused at their sudden turn of good luck. Then the patrol floated closer to take custody of their new prisoner.  
If any of them felt a misgiving moving out into the middle of the clearing, they did not show it, not wanting to look scared in front of their companions. For that reason they were mostly unprepared as a huge shadow fell over them, and they were suddenly cut off from moonlight.  
The leader looked up, but the only thing he could see was a huge mass that looked like a cloud, but so low that it was blotting out the very trees themselves. His brain refused to register for one precious, important moment, the rate at which the mass was approaching him, but suddenly it did. He opened his mouth to order everyone to run for it, but by then it was too late. There was a loud crash and the entire patrol was buried in over their heads in bracken and sticks.  
Then, with a loud crack, the trees began to fall on them, bludgeoning them into unconsciousness.  
After the last signs of struggle from within ceased Mimi tilted the huge lump of bracken off of her and stood up, brushing herself off. Palmon came out of the woods, looking tired, but satisfied with herself.  
"Humph!" Mimi snorted. "I expect that they weren't gentlemen at all."  
"That's my Mimi." Palmon noted.  
  
"So what you up to?" Kari asked her feline companion as Gatomon stood there, calmly washing her paws in the pool of water before her.  
"Cleaning up. You know how it is. I have an image to maintain." The white cat sat down again and quickly shook her ears out. "So what are you doing?"  
"Oh nothing." Kari admitted as she watched the moon pass quietly overhead from her vantage point at the side of the pool. Little wavelets lapped at the tiny sandy beaches, carrying with them the moon's light. A gentle glow made the water look as dark as pitch in comparison.  
"I know what you're doing. You're thinking about TK." Gatomon sent a sly look at the blonde digidestined who was reclining against a hill not far away, holding a tired Patamon in one hand and gazing absently at the stars.  
"Gatomon!" Kari half-shouted in indignation, but she had to admit that the thought had crept into her mind, and now her ears were flaming. She had to resist the urge to pitch her companion head first into the cold pool, something that no cat would appreciate. "Stop that!"  
Gatomon chuckled in the back of her throat, amused at her companion's reaction when she suddenly noticed that TK was doing nothing, was not even blushing. Puzzled for a moment she noticed that he was still staring at the sky. "Hey TK!" she called. "What's up?"  
"Huh?" TK blinked as if waking up, shaking his head to clear a set of mental cobwebs. "What?"  
Gatomon chuckled again at the look on TK's face, and this time Kari joined in.  
"She asked what you were thinking about." Kari told him, smiling at him.  
TK just looked wistful. "I was just wondering what my brother was doing."  
"Oh." Kari stopped, not wanting to tread on a raw emotional wound. "I forget, you see him so little, you feel more anxious about him."  
"And you don't?" TK asked in return, raising an eyebrow.  
"It's not like that, and you know it." Kari smiled at him, and then threw a piece of grass she had just picked in his general direction. "Tai hovers over me so much that sometimes its just a relief to get away from him. I miss him, a lot, but I have my friends and I can do my own thing now. Besides I have you."  
That did cause TK to blush, but he looked skyward once more to the stars that were twinkling overhead. "I just hope that Matt's keeping out of trouble, and that he's not putting himself in danger for our sake."  
  
"Must run faster." Matt panted to himself as he ran through the forest. From behind him he could hear the clatter and crack as a dozen or so Woodmon and Vilemon ran up after him, and he tried to lengthen his stride. His advantage lay solely in the fact that he had longer legs. The digimon had the advantage of having more stamina built in. So far, everything was holding even.  
"Well, I suppose we could ask them if they want to give us a larger head start?" Gabumon pointed out, huffing between each breath.  
"And give them more time to catch up?" Matt retorted.  
"Look on the bright side. At least we're getting our exercise."  
"Next time I'll go to the gym. At least there the weights aren't trying to kill me."  
"You there, stop!" The Vilemon squad leader behind them shouted at them.  
"Oh, like we're stupid enough to do that." Matt darted between a pair of falling down trees and hopped a log. Gabumon vaulted over with the help of his claws.  
"We'll catch you eventually." The leader yelled back, trying to see the dark clad teenager through the darkness.  
"Here." Gabumon whispered, pointing to the spot they had set up earlier.  
Without another word Matt twisted to the side and jumped in the side of an open log, covered in thick-growing moss and slippery mold. The hollow trunk tilted down a green hillside, its end disappearing into the darkness. Matt and Gabumon held their breath and let the slippery wood act like a slide, making good their temporary escape. A moment of cold, wet darkness passed, and then they were along in a brushy area at the bottom of the hillside, invisible to any watchers.  
"Where'd they go?" Someone asked up there in a high pitched voice.  
"I don't see them anywhere." Another voice complained.  
"I hate blundering around at night. I can't see my own wings." A third voice whined.  
"Shut up! All of you buffoons be quiet." The leader snapped. "Spread out and start searching."  
Gabumon and Matt looked at each other and exchanged silent nods. A moment later Matt and his companion climbed into the stump of an old, fallen tree. Even in daylight it was difficult to spot the crack that ran along the top, and the cave that it hid. In nighttime, spotting the concealed patch would be virtually impossible. Together the two of them hunkered down, eyeing the concealing fog with wary eyes, burying themselves in a blanked of old branches that had fallen in.  
In the darkness and the eerie drifting mist there was a sudden crunch. Moments later a few more crunches occurred, somebody walking along the drier branches nearby. Matt tried to stop breathing. The wind, suddenly sharp and bitter, tried to cut through him like a knife, and he suppressed a shudder as shapes appeared in the fog.  
"We ain't going to find them around here." A Woodmon complained as he and his Vilemon companion crunched through the branches.  
"Maybe they had some kind of teleportation gizmo." The Vilemon suggested.  
"Or maybe they climbed the trees and got away that way." The Woodmon looked up. "You could go up and see."  
"Why me?"  
"'cause you the one with the wings."  
"Forget it. This place is too spooky to go off alone. Besides, I couldn't find them in this anyway."  
"Not that we really want to find the brats." The Woodmon looked nervous.   
"Yeah, no kidding. Did you see what they did to the top of the tower. I thought Daemon was going to blast us just for laughs. No way I want to get anywhere near somebody who can do that."  
"If they really are the Digidestined, they can make their digimon digivolve, and I hear this one turns into that Greymon character."  
The Vilemon jerked back. "Yikes. That guy could eat both of us as an appetizer."  
"Yeah, I really don't want to find that guy. What say we go back home."  
"You tell the boss we're too scared. See how he takes that."  
"Yeah, really." The Woodmon gave the scenery another halfhearted glance, eyes passing Matt's position. For a moment Matt was sure he had been spotted, but then the Woodmon looked elsewhere.  
"Hey, you down there. You find anything?" The leader's voice, loud and clear even through the fog, took the two searcher's attention away.  
"No sir." The Vilemon replied.  
"Well get back up here. They've probably gone onwards. We'll catch up to them."  
"Wonderful." The Woodmon wondered, and then the two trudged off into the fog.  
As soon as they were gone Matt and Gabumon released a collective sigh of relief, letting go of some of their tension.  
"Well, they're out wandering the woods, right where we want them." Gabumon whispered.  
"We'll give it about fifteen more minutes and then go find Izzy to tell him we've done our part. BrrrI'm freezing here."  
"You can share my coat. I guess it's all up to the others now."  
  
The Woodmon shifted uncomfortably. He knew that it was better standing guard at the camp then it was trudging over the woods in search of some phantom killers, but he really did not like it here. Everything he could see was dark, the only light being the faint light from a partial moon and distant stars reflecting off of the misty clouds. It gave the world an eerie, ghost-like feeling, and it gave him the shivers. He tried to focus outside, looking for any threat, but the fog refused to divulge any occupants.  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around.  
"Hello there." Leomon said with a growling rumble, and then brought his fist down hard on the unfortunate digimon's head. The Woodmon crumpled to the ground in an unconscious lump.  
"That's the last of them." Leomon whispered.  
Sora and Izzy both nodded. Tai, Piximon and Agumon were following up behind them.  
"It looks like out plan was good." Izzy told them matter-of-factly as he consulted the notes he had written down on his laptop. "Between the distractions the others have caused, most of their guards are out of camp. We can set the whole area full of traps ready for their return."  
"And an ambush." Leomon rumbled deep in his chest. He had been polishing his sword earlier, waiting for this moment. Around him empty tents sat in the faint light from above, white canvas glowing eerily against a darkened background. There was no noise other than them.  
"Right. Shall we get busy." Izzy pointed.  
Sora and Tai nodded. "Let's go do it."  
  
"I'm cold." Ken muttered under his breath, trying to hug a jacket closer around himself.  
"Well, it is nighttime." Davis responded, but even he looked less jaunty than usual.  
The two humans were helping work a night watch shift. Technically Davis was supposed to be asleep, but he claimed to be too worked up to go to sleep, and was keeping Ken company. The two were huddled around the small fire that they kept for the night watchmen. Around them everything was crisp and cold, and the stars glimmered brightly outside of the window.  
"I guess nobody showed up to save MachineDramon anyway." Ken observed. The only sounds outside were the chirping of crickets and the occasional owl hooting.  
"That's sort of anticlimactic." Davis complained. "We mount this huge battle, but nobody cares."  
"Well, he sure did." Ken remarked.  
"That's true." Davis sighed. "So what was it like to be leader?"  
"It was interesting, but the pressure got to me at the end. I'm not sure I want to do it so often the next time around."  
"Well, I'm beginning to think we really don't need a leader." Davis looked back at Ken with a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "I mean, after all, the one who seems to have the best plan takes charge."  
"That's not true. We still need someone who can make decisions for us when we aren't in the middle of a battle. In a fight, we usually run where the first person points, and we vote on big decisions, but the little ones, the things that keep us going, they still need a leader to decide on them. You aren't getting out of this so easily Davis. You're still the leader."  
"I guess so." Davis cocked his goggles back at a jaunty angle. "But you know, we're a lot more comfortable with each other now than we used to be. I think we're getting this team stuff down."  
Ken breathed on his hands to warm them. "I guess so. I'm beginning to see what the other team meant. We did have a lot to learn."  
"I hope they remember what they already learned." Davis put in, stretching.  
  
"We ready?" Joe asked Ogremon unnecessarily.  
"Of course we are." The green giant returned, absently scratching himself with one long claw. The trio of people were hunkered down in a huge patch of bracken, trying to make themselves invisible in the nighttime fog. A sudden gust of wind rattled the trees above, creating a sudden rushing sound that was almost eerie.  
"I hope this place spooks them out as much as it spooks me out." Joe muttered.  
"I'm sure it does Joe." Gomamon pointed out.  
  
"Well, how are we doing?" Izzy asked, wiping the sweat off of his brow with his sleeve.  
"Just fine, thank you." Tai and Leomon had just finished excavating another pit trap, and were busy covering it with camouflage to avoid anyone sighting it.  
"That gives us small traps all over the perimeter, and big ones in the camp itself. What about the falling trees?"  
"They'll fall when you need them too." Sora and Agumon came up from behind, each one with dirty hands, but looking satisfied with their work.  
"Good." Izzy finished tying a knot on his latest trap and then stood up. "Sooner or later they're going to be coming back, but I hope that they arrive all at once. That would make things easier."  
"Easier usually doesn't happen to us." Agumon responded, sitting down heavily.  
"Well, we deserve a break sooner or later." Sora replied, sitting down next to Tai's companion. Tai was blanking out again and did not notice that anything was happening. "Stick close to Tai for us, right?"  
"Okay." Agumon nodded, instantly seeing what she was concerned about.  
"So you noticed too." Izzy muttered into Sora's ear. The relationship between Sora and Izzy was an odd one, having to do with years of backing up the leaders on various issues, and doing the grunt work in battle. As a result of all that time spent together both Sora and Izzy were comfortable with managing the team's various problems.  
"How could you not notice. Tai's been in zone-out mode ever since the battle."  
"He was acting weird during the battle. I wonder why?" Izzy continued thoughtfully.  
"Probably Kari, but we should ask him."   
"Now or later?"  
"Well, since the enemies aren't beating down the door, probably now." Sora straightened her hair and went over to Tai with Izzy trailing along.  
"Why so silent Tai?" Sora dropped next to Tai.  
Tai started and looked over at the two friends and his own digimon companion before sighing. "Because I screwed up and I know it. It's just my way of dealing with this particular problem."  
"Why did you screw up?" Izzy asked. "And when?"  
"You saw how I was behaving in the castle." Tai absently began to dig through the dirt around him. "You saw entirely how I was behaving. I rushed in like an idiot. What's the old saying? 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.' That's what I was doing. Like an idiot I almost got us all killed."  
"Accidents happen Tai. Mistakes happen all the time. We've all made them before." Sora tried to comfort him.  
"But usually we don't make the same mistake twice. Every time I get something in my head as a leader, I try and rush off and do it. That's what's going to get us killed. I keep making the same mistake over and over and over again, and the rest of you don't. And what's worse is that I know I'm doing it. I knew we should have backed down, looked around more, thought things over, but the truth was that we were so close to getting Kari that I could taste it. And so I screwed up, and I knew that I screwed up. And I promised myself last time that I would never do this again."  
"But your charging ahead has saved us before. It's good to be able to make up your mind, even if it might be the wrong idea. Without you we probably would have sat around and planned for a week, and all the plans would have been useless anyway." Izzy pointed out logically. "We all survived and we're all safe for now, so there's really nothing wrong with getting some experience."  
"I'm supposed to be there for Kari."  
"But she doesn't need it Tai." Agumon patted his partner's leg with one claw. "I mean, she's got Gatomon, she's got a lot of experience, and she's stood up to some pretty powerful evil on her own. If the creatures she's faced down all by herself weren't evil, than evil doesn't exist. She can take care of herself."  
"And so can you Tai. You've got to give her a chance to prove herself, and you have to trust her. We all trust them to keep alive and do the right thing until we can help. You should do the same."  
"It's not just that, is it?" Izzy asked with some concern.  
"No." Tai admitted, shaking his head. "I feel worthless too. I mean, everyone except me and Matt can digivolve their digimon to Ultimate. I was useful as long as I could make the right decisions, but if I can't, than what can I do for the team? Think about it. It's something inside of me that keeps my crest from glowing. That's the problem. It's my fault if I can't protect the team the way that I'm supposed to."  
"It's not over yet Tai. There's still a lot you can do, and time will help." Sora patted him on the back of the head, but was interrupted as Matt came sprinting into the campsite.  
"They're right behind me." He panted as Gabumon staggered up behind him.  
"Time to go." Izzy jumped off, and, warily, Tai and Sora followed behind him.  
  
Mimi and Palmon arrived at the ambush point they were assigned to scant seconds before they could hear the distant crunch of branches and dried twigs that indicated someone approaching. Within seconds the noise was so loud that it was clear that many people were approaching instead of just one.  
"Is that our cue?" Mimi asked, hunching down behind a large bush.  
"Probably."  
A few moments later there was more crunching and a group of RedVeggiemon and Vilemon appeared out of the fog, dark shapes solidifying into living digimon. A moment later they were passing by, and seconds after that they were all gone as they faded into the darkness.  
"Right, so be ready if they come back." Palmon whispered.  
"I guess so. Brrrr.it's cold out here, isn't it?"  
  
The first Vilemon to drift back to the camp they had set up, anxious to get back to warmth and comfort, however limited, set off the first snare. It was simple, a rope made out of twisted vines, sliced handily by Leomon, connected to a whippy sapling, the sort of trap that you saw on TV. It looked ineffectual, and probably would not work against a person. But the Vilemon who landed in the loop of vine and set off the trap did not weigh as much as a human. The sapling sprang back upright, and hurled the unlucky digimon into a tree.  
"Quick, everybody, the digidestined must be here." One of them, presumably a leader yelled, pointing at the camp. This seemed to arouse more fear than courage in the troops following him.  
"Charge." Somebody else yelled, and the crowd, which was gathering still from the various groups that had been scattered all over the forest, started to move forward.  
There was a crash as some RedVeggiemon discovered the tiger pit trap that was directly in their route, falling down with a crash. Progress stopped. Muttering started as latecomers to the fray begin to ask what was going on. Leaders barked orders to try and resume progress, but now almost nobody was listening to them.  
A small cloud of wooden objects flew through the air, launched from a makeshift catapult, knocking several of the Vilemon down and sending them sprawling. There was a rush as the attackers stopped advancing and attempted to find a large, solid object to hide behind. This lasted for a few moments while there was utter chaos outside, giving the shadows in the depths of the camp a few moments to maneuver.  
Finally, after being zapped by their leader a few times, a group of Vilemon and Woodmon on the right flank managed to get going in sort of a cautious charge, working their way slowly up the hill. Their charge was uninspired, and their mood as they crested the long, dark, running slope and found Leomon waiting for them at the top, was one of extreme discomfort. This discomfort was immediately added to by the attack of the huge Champion.  
Fists flying and sword whirling he swept through the crowd, difficult to see in the darkness, but his actions were evident. Here and there small dark shapes would go flying off into the trees. Most of them were not rising. Leaders screamed contradictory orders, urging their people on, but the rest of the attackers seemed not to want to proceed up the hill to where that mess of blackness was whirling away.   
"Now!" Izzy yelled. "While they're not looking."  
With a thunderous crash the second arm of the trap opened up. The huge trees around all the corners of the camp had been weakened by some inspired woodworking. Now, as Izzy gave the command, Sora and Tai dropped a huge collection of logs on the mass of attackers. The trees toppled slowly enough to actually give the digimon under them a chance to escape, a chance to dive out of the way, but it was not enough. Branches slammed into heads, sending digimon reeling out, unconscious. Others were pinned beneath the heavy logs, the weight keeping them from escaping. Some were just injured, and they were the most chaotic of all, running around screaming, spreading chaos through the ranks.  
"Pit Bomb!" A group that had been sneaking closer and closer suddenly found themselves blasted away.  
"Let's get out of here!" Someone in the back shouted, and the rear of the group broke apart, rogue digimon fleeing blindly into the woods. Some leaders managed to retain order among themselves, but the continuous mass of screams from the hillside battle kept their troops from attacking. In moments the bulk of the attackers had melted away into the woods, disappearing from view.  
"Needle Spray!" A shout from one part of the forest indicated that they were being hurried along on their retreat. There was a sudden round of dull, heavy thuds as the needles hammered into trees and whatever else was in their way. A new set of screams and warnings told the listeners that the retreating enemy was giving that area a wide berth too.  
"Pummel Whack!" Another group of sudden screams gave the attackers yet another region to avoid on their hasty retreat. Soon the noise of combat and people fading through the bushes had vanished. In the chaos, all of the attackers had fled, some running blindly into the arms of the ambushers, some escaping outright. Nobody was hanging around the camp any more. The digidestined stood in the middle of a cleared forest, breathing sighs of relief and triumph.  
"All right!" Sora and Izzy exchanged high-fives as the battle ran down. "We did it."  
"We sure did." Matt gave one of his rare full smiles. "It looks like we're not out of the game yet." Gabumon laughed by his side.  
"Who'd have thought?" Joe asked, emerging from the woods with Ogremon and Gomamon on his tail. "It looks like they aren't as tough as we thought."  
"There were quite a lot of them." Gomamon admitted, and giggled.  
"So now what?" Mimi asked as she stepped out of the concealing shadows.   
"We fall back and regroup before taking Daemon on again." Izzy suggested.  
Tai just nodded, and sunk back into his dark mood again.  
  
"This place is a mess." Yolei complained, as she helped Cody lift up what was left of a door so they could see what was under it.  
"Well, we weren't exactly trying to keep it in one piece." Davis responded, climbing over a pile of rubble in the middle of the hallway. The three of them and their digimon companions were delving down deep into the castle. Ken, Kari and TK had opted to check out the top of the castle, and to keep watch in case anybody tried to sneak up on them. So far it appeared that the wreck of a fortress was now abandoned.  
"Yeah, we did do some damage here." Veemon admitted, but he looked proud of himself instead of upset.  
"Some damage is right. I've seen thousand year old ruins in better shape than this." Yolei rolled her eyes, but smiled good-naturedly. It seemed that the morning after their big victory that nothing could keep them down.  
"So where does this go?" Cody asked the question that all of them had been thinking about. The huge corridor they were in sloped gradually downward from Machinedramon's throne room, ending somewhere ahead in the blackness. Doors lined the sides, but they refused to open.  
"Listen to that?" Armadillomon suddenly exclaimed. "D'ya hear it?"  
"Hear what?" Davis asked, before quieting himself to listen.  
Then they all heard it, a faint voice drifting through the hall. "Help meeeee."  
"I think there's someone down here." Yolei said.  
  
  
  



	8. A Voice in the Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon  
Author's Note to the Readers:  
First, I would like to say that this took such a long time to re-edit because it is a difficult piece. The concept was good, but the execution has some flaws. Besides, season 1 Joe, which is the deepest analysis we have of Joe, would never say that, only a changed Joe would, which made it even harder.   
That said, I must admit that there wil be a temporary ( 1 month) suspension probably in publication. I confess that I've been writing well ahead of where I've been publishing, but now I may have written mysef into a corner. It's going to take me a bit to work my way out of it, and I'll be spending what free time I have working on that rather than publishing new material. Additionally, the series is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be. I'm almost done, but the tremendous length of the saga is beginning to bog me down. Still, not bad for a first attempt at an epic.  
Secondly, I have another reason for suspending. Some (a fair number) of the following episodes will take place in the real world. I think I'm going to postpone them until I manage to get to Tokyo and take a look around, which won't happen until the end of this month. So you should expect me back in September sometime.  
Finally, the good news is that I really did write in advance, so once I straighten out my ending issues, I can publish much faster.  
Sorry for keeping y'all waiting.  
-danAlwyn   


Episode XXI  
A Voice in the Darkness  
_  
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of a continent, a part of the main;"_  
John Donne, Meditation XVII  
  


"I don't see anything." Patamon reported, hovering outside the windows on the beats of his little wings. "I really don't."  
"That's okay Patamon." TK responded, leaning out the window to take a look at the world around. "It doesn't look like there's anything to see out there."  
"Except trees." Gatomon landed on TK's head, preventing Patamon from landing in his favorite spot. When the small mammal looked affronted Gatomon stuck her tongue out at him.  
"Now watch it." Kari grabbed Gatomon's tail warningly. "You could be the one we send out to look at all the trees."  
"I'll be good. I promise." Gatomon jumped back off of TK's head and landed in Kari's arms.  
"Well, you haven't been good at it so far." Kari smiled as TK slid an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.  
"Find something Ken?" TK asked as the boy genius re-emerged back into the daylight once more.  
Ken shrugged. "Not really. I mean, what was I supposed to find? This place is historically fascinating. The buildings and rooms are all monuments to our heritage and our history. But if I don't want to sound like an essay on civics, there really is nothing here. Only copies of Japanese history. And that's not much use to us now."  
"So there's nothing here." TK repeated, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling, when all of their D3s triggered.  
"It's Yolei." Ken said tersely after a moment. "She wants us. She says it's not life threatening, but it's urgent."  
"Well, what are we sitting around here for?" Gatomon asked, as the others dashed for the nearest stairwell.  
  
"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the front." Gennai stood before the assembled senior officers of Fourth and Fifth Wings. "And welcome to Midgard."  
There was only dead silence from the audience. Gennai had passed around the operational orders for Mjolnir and the overall operation, Midgard, only an hour before. Now the Citadel Tactical Command was finally assembled and willing to take questions.  
There were not many, the orders were very specific, and the intelligence extremely detailed.  
"What's the operational status of Mjolnir?" Asked the Head Operations Officer of Fifth Wing.  
"Technically, we have all the problems licked." Cortell responded calmly. "The only problem will be launching it, and that will require enough forces in opposition of the transit point. Which means that we'll have to draw them in when we really need them."  
"This will cost the Light Carrier wings pretty heavily. And our screen will definitely have some holes in it." Gennai explained the news calmly. "But we think that it's worth it if it means that we will end up with the concentration of forces opposing us that we expect."  
The staff officers nodded. There was little else for them to do.  
  
"I've collected many samples and done extensive research many times over." Izzy muttered to himself as he pried himself awake. "And no matter how many times I believe that I have accounted for all the possibilities, I am continually astounded by how many different hard and sharp objects that I can sleep on."  
"What was it this time Izzy?" Sora wanted to know.  
"I managed to roll off onto my gear. I spent the whole night, or what part of it we slept through, sleeping on top of my own shoes."  
"That's new." Sora admitted.   
"I just hurt. Who else is up?"  
"Well, for once, the digimon. We really ended up not using them much in last night's battle, so they're pretty rested and ready to go. I think Gomamon is up and fishing already. Gabumon has been wandering around for a while with Agumon. I think they were out gathering something for breakfast. Matt's up already, he doesn't seem to need sleep as much of the rest of us."  
Izzy thought about that for a moment, but he simply could not resist needling his red-headed friend. "And how would you know about that?"  
"Because Iwhy youit's nothing like that." Her face was now nearly as red as her hair. "And here I thought you were the nice one Izumi."  
"I am. Imagine what would have happened if you had said the same thing to Davis." Izzy grinned malevolently.  
Sora could not help but laugh at that one. "I suppose so. Yeah, I understand. And one day, when you have a girlfriend, revenge will be so sweet."  
"I live in foreboding of that day. Speaking of such topics, is everything patched up on that end? I don't mean to pry but I hate it when these things fall apart on me halfway through."  
Sora nodded. "Yeah, Matt and I patched some things up, and so did Tai and I. I think I still need to have a talk with them, but right now we're ready to hit the bad guys, if not quite ready to hit the clubs."  
"That's all I ask. Let's see what the others are up to."  
  
"So who are you?" Kari asked after a moment of silence.  
"Hnngghhh" The other digimon made a strangled sound into a cup of water, blotting out his voice.  
"He looks like an off-color version of Wizardmon." Patamon whispered into his companions' ear. TK just nodded.  
"My name" the strange digimon gasped after a moment. "Is Sorcerymon. I am a prisoner of Machinedramon. Who are you?"  
"We're the guys who wiped your late jailor all over the floor." Davis bragged, striking a pose he probably thought was heroic. "We kicked his tail."  
"Seriously." Veemon added, to back up his partner.  
"Truly. You defeated Machinedramon?" That's incredible. Wait a minute" Sorcerymon's eyes narrowed suddenly. "How do I know that you aren't just leading me into some sort of trap from him?"  
"With his castle in ruins and his henchmen nowhere to be found? Be serious." Yolei snorted.  
"There is that." Sorcerymon mused.  
"We've wiped the floor with Machinedramon." TK confirmed suddenly. "And we took care of Khartan's little pet Reaver too. And next, we get him."  
"Reaver? Wait! You're human beings! You must be with Citadel! If that's true, maybe you can take out Khartan!"  
"We think they sent us." Cody shrugged. "They really didn't give us much of a choice."  
"Don't worry, they never do." Sorcerymon looked much more confident now. "But that means that we still have a fighting chance, and that means that I can help you win this little war, once and for all."  
"And how are you going to do that?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Because I used to serve Lord SaberLeomon when he was ruler of this land. I lived in his fortress. And I know a few ways in and out that I doubt Khartan knows about yet. Will that help?"  
"That, ladies and gentleman, is our ticket in." Davis proclaimed.  
  
"So, what's the score?" Matt asked, kicking off the meeting. He was busy trying to fry something that looked vaguely fishlike. The entire group was getting tired of fish, but, considering the only other things they could find were birds, which were too fast to catch, and digimon, which nobody even suggested, they had little other choice. Matt was doing his best to spice things up any way he could, but he was not having that much success. After all, fish tends to taste like fish.  
"The score is, him one, us zero." Sora retorted, but she was sitting comfortably next to him, with Tai next to her.  
"I suppose that's about the way it works." Izzy replied. "Although it's more constructive to think of it as a prolonged stalemate."  
"Oh yeah," Joe rolled his eyes at Izzy. "I feel better already."  
They all laughed, remembering the first time this particular argument had come up way back when they were fighting the Dark Masters.  
"So what do we do now?" Agumon asked, looking at Tai.  
"Don't ask me." Tai muttered. "Izzy seems to be in charge now."  
Everyone winced uncomfortably, but Izzy refused to take what was being offered. "That's not true Tai, and we know it. I took charge because I was best suited to, but you're a much better leader than I am because you can decide things and get them done. Right?"  
"Okay, I guess."  
"The best option is to wait for a while." Piximon reported from where he was sitting. "With the message we sent, it will only take a day for the others to join us, and with them, we have quite a formidable army. Since I suspect that Daemon is chasing after us in person, we could have quite a showdown out here. I think it's time to give him a heck of a surprise."  
"Are we up to it?" Gabumon asked the others.  
"We better be." Izzy returned darkly.  
  
"So, a back way, eh?" Davis looked at the quick map that Ken had drawn on the scanner.  
"Yes, and its well hidden. In fact, it isn't even supposed to be a way in. It's an aqueduct that used to run under the fortress. We replaced it with more modern water lines, but we never closed it up." Sorcerymon scratched his head. "It's protected by a few metal gates, but I can use a magical charm to open them up."  
"Can you guide us around inside the fortress?" TK asked.  
Sorcerymon shook his head. "No, probably not. You see, not long after moving in Khartan redesigned most of the fortress. I'm not sure why, but probably to appease his twisted sense of aesthetics."  
"I don't even know what those words mean." Veemon grumbled.  
"I'll explain them later." Davis whispered.  
"How?" Yolei asked. "You don't even know yourself."  
"I do too!"  
"Ahem!" Sorcerymon brought everyone's attention back to him. "As I was saying before the two of you stole the show, it will be difficult to determine where he is. However, just from experience, he probably took up residence at the top of the tower, which has the best view. Overlords seem to like that for some reason."  
"Why do they always have their rooms at the top?" Armadillomon grumbled.  
"It's a defensive thing." Hawkmon returned lightly. "You see, if they put there rooms way up there all those of us who have come to conquer them have to trudge up a zillion flights of stairs on our way up. We'll be too tired when we get to the top to fight them."  
"It isn't quite that high." Sorcerymon protested.  
"What happened to the rest of SaberLeomon's followers?" TK asked.  
For a moment Sorcerymon looked stricken, but he quickly recovered, shaking his head to remove any trace of his shock. "It's difficult to explain. You see, our world was once larger and more prosperous, home to humans and digimon alike. The great war changed all that all those years ago. Most of the great cities are now only ruins. Where they once were is only barren wasteland, carnage of war. Most of the civilians were evacuated through the massive transit points, warped to other worlds far away. For twenty years this place was on the front lines of a prolonged battle, never important enough for a major battle to decide its fate, but always important enough for the fighting to continue.  
"We don't know how the war ended really. Only that, as time passed, the forces of darkness and of light abandoned this world to its own devices. To tell the truth, those who had hidden in the mountains and forests all those years while battle raged in the north tended not to care why the fighting was over. All that was important was that it was.  
"It took years more to build our way back, from a small group of tiny communities to a nation once more. We were still small and weak, and we left the transit point alone mostly. It was only when SaberLeomon had grown enough in strength that we felt strong enough to challenge the darkness. We managed to seal the transit points, and, in our pride, declared our independence from both darkness and light.  
"That's when it all fell apart. We could resist the forces of evil digimon when they attacked directly, but there were a lot of them. They really didn't want to die, so they put the fortress under siege. That lasted about a year, us slipping in and out, them waiting for something to happen. Then Khartan came.  
"He destroyed our army, Ultimates and Champions all, in a matter of an hour, and then, with the help of his demons, captured the fortress, and sent our people into flight. Fortunately, there weren't that many of us, so we escaped into the forests and mountains once more. Only those unable to flee stayed.  
"I must be one of the last of the royal circle to survive. They were going to execute me when they could, but they never got around to it. Now, since you seem to have the power to fight Khartan, I'm going with you. I don't know if we can win, but the truth is, if I've got to go down, I'd rather go down fighting."  
"And we're going with you." Davis exclaimed. Within moments he, Ken and Sorcerymon were bogged down in planning. TK walked over to Kari, noticing that she was looking pale.  
"What's wrong Kari?" he asked tenderly.  
"A war killed this world." She whispered through clenched teeth. "You saw the ruinsthe emptinessthe desolation. War ravaged this world and broke its people. And that's what we're going to do again, isn't it?"  
"Do we have a choice Kari? Do we really?"  
"We could stop, we could try to escape"  
"Really Kari? Would you doom the inhabitants of this world to save yourself, to stop yourself from damaging the ruins? I admit that sooner or later all of this has to stop, but first we have to win. And that means victory. Can you really abandon all those who still do live here just because you don't want to hurt anybody else?"  
"NoI guess you're right, it's just that"  
"It hurts." TK placed a hand on her cheek gently. "It hurts inside, in the heart. I wish to God that we didn't have to do this. I wish that we could have given this job to someone else, but we can't. We're the ones here, and if we turn our backs, we're just as bad as the people who did the damage in the first place."  
Kari looked at him tearfully, then threw her arms around him, clutching him close. "Oh TK! I've just seen too much war, too much fightingI don't know what to do anymore. It's justwe never had a choice, did we?"  
"Some people have a choice." TK tried to stay strong, but his mind was swimming with all the horrors the digital world had ever shown him. "We have destiny. And we hope that's enough."  
  
Tai snapped another stick off against an inoffensive tree. The constant waiting was getting on his nerves and it was really beginning to show. Everything around him had become the target of violence, the subject of many different forms of abuse, from rock throwing to bare handed beating. From outside his range Izzy and Piximon watched carefully.  
"We're going to defeat ourselves if this keeps up." Izzy murmured.  
"Yes. You are not yet prepared to fight against Daemon. Especially if you continue in this manner." Piximon returned in all seriousness.  
"Well, that's the way the cookie crumbles." Izzy replied, and then turned more serious. "So, can we really do this."  
"I have faith in you." Piximon replied, giving Izzy his peculiar smile.  
"I think I can live with that."  
  
"I wonder sometimes how much damage I would have caused." Ken considered as he walked along a forest path, side by side with his faithful companion. "If I had remained faithful to evil, would I one day have led an invasion of the earth, of the real world. I wonder, I really do."  
"Ken, don't worry about it. You'll make yourself sick." Wormmon protested.  
"No, I'm over that now. I just wonder if I have that strength, that cunning, still inside of me."  
"I hope not." Wormmon jumped up on a log and jumped off the other side while Ken merely stepped over.  
"I don't know about that. You see, knowledge and skill are like a sword."  
"A sword? Why is that?"  
"Because a sword has two sides. It isn't evil really, but it isn't really good either. It just sort of is. Whether it's good or evil depends on who's holding it."  
"And you think you can hold the sword the right way?" Wormmon inquired.  
"Well, maybe." Ken confessed. "Using that much of my power might tempt me again, but I'm hoping that it won't. You see, I think I could have conquered the earth with my army of digimon slaves. I probably could have taken most of the world apart with my powers. Now the question becomes, can I use it for good?"  
"You can do anything you want Ken." Wormmon replied, voicing his confidence.  
"No. But together all of us can. And if we can, the bad guys better watch out for us, eh?"  
  
"So far it looks like we're winning." TK told the others as they left the ruins of Machinedramon's castle behind them. They were all stone faced and unusually quiet. It was only two days to get to the base of Khartan's fortress, and none of them were doing much besides thinking about that fateful confrontation.  
"Here's to the future." Davis nodded at him as he walked ahead and led the group off to another battle.  
  
"Given the disappearance of Machinedramon, it is now completely obvious that those digidestined were able to defeat him." Bane stood back from his master.  
"Digidestined, eh? What a ridiculous name. Gennai can be quite foolish like that sometimes. Nevertheless I have no wish to combat him at this moment. Let them come, I assume that they are coming here next." Khartan turned lazily in his floating throne, eyes brushing the maps adorning the walls.  
"I must admit Master, that I don't know for certain."  
"So they have evaded your little spy-nets. Hmmmwell it is no matter. I probably won't even be here when they get here, and they're no threat to me. And if Daemon finishes up with that other group soon, they never will be either."  
"Of course not Master."  
"Oh, and Bane"  
"Yes Master?"  
"Stop calling me Master. It sticks in your throat."  
  
Dinner among the elder digidestined was a quiet, subdued affair. Izzy was quiet and reflecting. Matt and Tai were both silent, thinking about siblings or their own failures in this world. Sora was considering her future, and Joe was thinking about the past. Even Mimi was strangely quiet. The digimon, sensing this unnatural stillness, this lack of motion and spirit, stayed quiet as well.  
It was unnerving. Usually meals were a time filled with laughter and happiness, teasing and joking. Now it was all quiet. The fact that Daemon had swatted them like flies had done nothing for their self-confidence, or for their spirit. Now they were sitting their like they had been used up and forgotten, already beaten. During the night they had fought spectacularly, but Izzy had to admit that as daylight faded away, and they prepared to sleep once more, that whatever the day had done for them, it had not been good. Given all that time to brood about their problems and their failings, the kids who had once had the courage to save the world had fallen into a deep depression.  
And now there was only the crackling of a fire and a small pile of firewood, sitting there almost unattended. As the shadows drew close they drew apart and, alone and in the cold, quietly fell into a deep slumber.  
Outside, as the night drew close, despair began to stalk them.  
  
Tai stumbled through nightmare after nightmare. In every one he was assaulted by the brutal smell of burned flesh, the screams of agony of his friends. The crackle of flames, the smell of boiling oil, the crack of the whip, all these sensations and more followed him through nightmarish hell after hell. At every stop he cried and begged for forgiveness, for a chance to change things, but every time he failed, every time he lost another friend to screaming torments. And through it all, the ghostly specter of his sister, lost, bleeding and alone haunted him.  
And what was worse was that, as he plowed through every nightmare, breached the realms into every personal hell, he knew that he deserved every second of that terrible experience.  
  
Izzy jerked awaked with a start, only remembering a brief image of darkness and fear from his nightmare. For a moment he sat there, trying to still his beating heart, and then he opened his laptop to see if he could do some work that would calm him. He had just opened it when a voice he heard made it stop in shock.  
After a second he realized it was just the night watchman, Joe, talking to himself or to Gomamon. He sighed quickly and returned himself to a few calculations. It was not until he heard what Joe was actually saying that he stopped dead, all his attention focused on the words watching over him. Almost instinctively he turned the laptop to audio record mode, trying to suck all those words in.  
Joe's voice kept him company for some time.  
  
Breakfast was as quiet as dinner had been, a void, empty of conversation, and feeling somehow empty and desolate. It was not until they were finished that Izzy began to speak.  
"I recorded some very odd things last night." He began, absently tapping keys on his laptop.  
"Really, what?" Sora asked.  
"Joe."  
"What? Me?" Joe looked flustered for a moment, and then turned pale as he realized what Izzy must have recorded on his laptop.  
Izzy merely pushed a button on the side of the laptop, and the compressed audio file began to play.  
"all of us, the whole team, we're just a bunch of frauds." Joe's voice crackled through the speakers, coming through unnaturally crisp and clear.  
"You see Gomamon, we all pretend that we can't win this. That we're a bunch of little kids sitting here not ready for having to deal with this. But the truth is that we're the most experienced, best equipped and greatest team on the planet. The truth is that, come the next day, we're going to kick Daemon's rear, because we're stronger than any of us ever dream is possible."  
"You are stronger than you were." The digitized Gomamon responded.  
"It's not just that pal. It's the fact that we're all a bunch of frauds. Maybe we're so scared of what we're becoming that maybe we don't see it. We like to pretend that we don't like each other so much, that we care about other things, but the truth is, no matter how we hide it, that we may be the closest friends on the planet.  
"We're a team Gomamon. We try to pretend that we're not. We have our fights, our arguments and our disagreements. But the truth is that everybody has those. Maybe I see it clearer because I try to stay clear of our disagreements more, but something is definitely there. We're so strong that it scares me sometimes, when I can see it clearly. Well, I guess it really doesn't scare me, but the truth is, it can be a bit unnerving.  
"I mean, think about it. How many years have we been doing this for? How many times have we been thrown into the breach without so much as an apology or time for a last handshake before we face death? But we always get through whatever they can throw at us, because we're strong inside.  
"I think that part of our problem is the fact that we don't think we're very strong. Tai gets a bit hotheaded at times; Matt tends to withdraw into himself. Mimi can act a little foolishly at times, and Sora can be temperamental when she thinks she needs to be. Izzy can withdraw into his computer world, and I can turn into a total coward. I mean, it looks like we're completely dysfunctional sometimes."  
"But you aren't" Gomamon responded.  
"'Course we aren't." Joe continued calmly. "If we were dysfunctional, do you think we would still be here? No, we'd be dead, and the world would be in ruins. No, we usually get it together in the last minute, and pretend that we don't know why.  
"I won't pretend that things are perfect, but look at the qualities we all have, that we all bring together. Tai may be hotheaded at times, but he usually makes the right decisions, and that's more important than anything. He keeps us together, and he keeps us going, even if we hate him for it, and that makes him even more admirable. I don't know what we would do without him, but the last time we tried, the group just fell apart. He's got a lot of courage, and you can depend on him in a fight, just the kind of thing we need to get out of this alive.  
"Matt may be quiet and withdrawn, but he's the best friend you could ever have. I mean, look at him. He keeps his tongue still usually, but if you're in trouble, he'll be there. No matter how hard he tries to wear the mask of the popular rock star, we all know deep inside that if one of us is in trouble he'll drop whatever he's doing and run to help us out. We know that he'll always be there for us, no matter how much trouble we get ourselves into.  
"Mimi pretends that she's still just focused on fashion and on boys and things like that, but she never really was, and she isn't now. She cares about people, and all of us know that. Even if the way she demonstrates it isn't always the best, she cares about everyone, and is perfectly willing to sacrifice her own comforts for the sake of others. She might seem to fragile and flighty, to not care about anything important in the outside world, but in the digital world, she can be herself. She can be the kind and caring person she is, and we all depend on her.  
"As for Sora, well, TK had it right on the spot. She's our surrogate mother, and there's nothing more important than that. Even if she thinks she isn't strong enough or deep enough or has enough love for all of us or whatever today's crisis is, she's still is, or does. It's confusing, but the truth is, she brings a lot to us, and she'll always be ready to support us through everything. It's nice to have a shoulder to cry on sometimes, and we know that she'll always provide one. She keeps the team together, and we can depend on her for everything.  
"And Izzy, well, look at him. It used to be that he wouldn't even give you the time of day if you asked him while he was on his computer. Now, whenever he loses himself in technology or science, he's always willing to break out and give you a hand to do what needs to be done. He'll explain anything to you, usually again and again and again and again until you get it right. And he's learned how to apply his knowledge to what we're doing, to help us.  
"And even I've got some good factors now. I'm responsible. I'll take care of things. It's what I do."  
"We know you all do good Joe." Gomamon sounded appeasing.  
"It's more than that. We've finally got to the point where, if we work together, we don't have weaknesses anymore. We can fight, we can survive and we can take care of each other. If someone starts to slow down, Tai slows the group down, or Sora asks for a rest, or Izzy wants us to stop to investigate something. If we get in trouble in a fight everyone knows instinctively where everyone else is and what they're doing at that moment. Help arrives in seconds. We're a team, a living breathing single person who just happens to have six bodies. Twelve counting you guys. And don't think that we aren't. We just don't see it because it's part of us now. It's impossible to think of us treking through the digital world on an important assignment without each other. Without Izzy's constant analysis of the surroundings, Mimi's airy comments, Sora's supportive banter, Matt's taciturn silence, Tai's bluster and, even though I hate to admit it, my continual pessimism, we feel empty. It just doesn't seem to have occurred to everyone that the reason behind that is that we are a real team. A true force to be reckoned with.  
"I used to wonder if we got our crests randomly, if they were randomly assigned or something. Now I think I know why we got them, and I think that it makes sense. We share our traits with everyone. Each person who has a crest does their best to spread their trait around, and is best cut out for it. Our friendship, our courage, our love, our sincerity, our knowledge and our reliability. If only one person has courage, that doesn't help us very much, but when we work together and share our traits, that's what makes us stronger.  
"And that's why we're going to win next time. Not because we've got really strong digimon, or because we have a great plan. We're going to win because we've learned to eat Tai's cooking, to enjoy Sora singing when she's happy, to ignore Mimi's good-natured complaints, to put up with Matt's silence, or Izzy's occasionally inability to pay attention to us, or my pessimism. We've learned how to deal with all of that, and that's what makes us strong enough to win. Because we're a team now and there's nothing we can't do."  
"I don't know Joe, It sounds pretty corny." Gomamon returned teasingly.  
"It may be corny, but it's true." There was still passion in Joe's voice. "Together, once we work out our little problems, we're unbeatable. There isn't anything that can even slow us down, and we know it. All we have to do is rely on each other, and then there's no way we can lose.  
"Tomorrow we're going to hit Daemon, and we're going to start losing right away. But, just as it seems that we're about to get wiped out, Izzy will have a brainstorm, or Tai will come up with a brilliant master plan and lead us to victory. Or Mimi will find a way to distract the enemy, while everyone else smashes him. If someone gets injured, Sora will take him to safety, or I will, while Matt distracts Daemon and whatever he brings with him. I've lost count of the times when we've almost been killed, but the key word here is almost. We always pull it together in the last minute, but we never realize just how good we've gotten, precisely because that is what happens. And that's why we're going to win tomorrow. He couldn't get us before, and he won't now."  
"I'm with you there old buddy." Gomamon could be heard smiling, even if nobody could see him. "I'm with you there."  
Izzy closed the audio file and looked around at everyone. "There's our answer. There's what we're going to do. We're going to fight just like we always do, we're going to work together like we always have, and we're going to win, because that's what we do. It's the kind of people we are.   
"I must admit that what Joe said was completely true, and that it's probably the best thing that anyone's ever said about me. Being smart may be good, but it's nothing compared to being a friend. And it's why we're going to win, because everyone here is together and united, and we're all standing together against darkness and evil. And maybe it sounds like something that came off of a kid's show or something, but it's still the truth, and that makes it important."  
"I agree totally." Sora joined in. "We have grown and changed a lot. We've got all the crests where it counts, and I think that may have something to do with our success. Matt told me once that all this stuff about the crests used to sound corny and all, but the amazing thing is that it turns out to be true, and we turn out having to use it. We may sound like we're writing an essay on civic virtues, but we believe in what we're doing."  
"I remember when Gennai once confirmed our guess that the Digital World is a combination of digital data and people's dreams." Joe muttered, still red. "I realized then that if we believed in ourselves and each other here, in the middle of this world, that we would be able to succeed. That's where our powers are from."  
"Hmmman interesting theory." Izzy noted.  
Tai laughed. It was a sound that started out tenuously, as if he were somehow afraid that it might break him, might shatter him, but it grew louder and louder, stronger and stronger. It rose from the depths of his soul to shake the pillars of the world, and the color returned to his face in a rush. And so did the realization that, even if he had fallen down, he still could get up again. "I must admit I was kinda down that I let all you guys down, but I guess we got out of it all right, so we must still be good. I'm glad that we all still believe in each other, because I never stopped believing in you. Maybe my crest doesn't glow in battle yet, but it glows inside of me, and I think that this is where it counts."  
"I'm with him." Matt told them. "I was a bit upset that you guys were doing all the work while it was my brother in the line, but we're all really in this together. And if we are, we've got each other to lean on. Every quality in our crests is backed by the qualities we have in each other, and we're a real team."  
"So it's time to start acting like it." Izzy finished.  
"It doesn't matter what Daemon did before." Tai stuck his hand out and the others put their hands on top of his, forming a column of impossible strength. "This time we'll finish him."  



	9. Queen's Gambit

Disclaimer:  I do not own Digimon.  Got it?

**Episode XXII** Queen's Gambit 

_Victory is a thing of the will._

_Ferdinand Foch, Message to Marshal Joffre, 1914_

Author's Note:  I'm finally back, and this thing is going much slower than I had originally anticipated.  I'm sorry that I'm keeping people who might actually want to read this waiting, but I'm a lazy bum.  You can complain about that if you like, it might inspire me to get stuff up faster.  I have some adjustments to make to the third part of the epic before it goes online.  I hope it does all right, and if there are any helpful criticisms out there, I'll be sure to take them.

            -dA

                "This place doesn't look like much." TK looked around a bit confused.  "It doesn't feel like that much either."

            "Why is it always a cave?" Davis muttered again.

            "It's not that bad." Cody reminded him.

            "Thanks Cody.  That's only 'cause you're too short to hit your head on the ceiling." Yolei reminded him.

            "I can hit my head on the ceiling." Patamon responded, flying off of TK's hat to hover a bit lower in the air.

            "That's not exactly a good thing." Kari responded, giggling.

            "Will you all be quiet?" Sorcerymon grumbled, quieting them all. "I'm trying to concentrate."

            The cave entrance they were standing above was small and narrow, leading into the darkness and the dampness beyond.  They could see where the cave ended a short way back in a cluster of rocks.

            "Ah, right." Sorcerymon raised his hand and let a flash of power escape him.  To one side a massive boulder gave a groan and slowly shifted out of the way, exposing an opening to one side.  "The cave has nothing to do with it.  The access SaberLeomon had made begins here, and leads into the main aqueduct."

            "Oh, right." TK grinned at his own assumption.

            "Everyone down the hatch." Davis pointed.

            "This isn't a submarine Davis." Yolei complained.

            "Will you two give it a rest already?' Gatomon asked wearily as they passed out of the outer world.

            "You see them?" Sora hissed.

            "I register their presence." Andromon, eyes telescoping wildly, finally managed to fix on some distant object.  "I cannot determine their composition from here, but I find it unlikely that there is someone else of that description here."

            "Izzy, this is Sora." The young woman spoke into her D3.  "We have visual contact with incoming forces.  Can't tell what they are just yet."

            "Hold on Sora.  We'll send someone out to take a look."

            "Someone's on the way." Sora repeated unnecessarily to Biyomon.

            "I wonder who?" Biyomon looked up.

            "I sense someone else approaching." Andromon looked up, trying to focus on something.  "It appears to be Unimon flying high and trying to keep out of sight."

            "Well, that's one way to do it.  He'll take a peek and then get clear." Sora reported confidently.

            There were a few minutes of quiet before Izzy's voice crackled back on.  "All right you guys, we got 'em.  Get back to base so we can start planning."

            "On the way."

            "Tired yet?" Davis asked, looking backward.

            "Not a chance." TK was probably grinning back but it was impossible to tell in the dark confines of the tunnel.

            "Well, we're here." Sorcerymon stopped suddenly, the light that was hovering above him magically stopped at the same time.  "After this we're in hostile territory, so you might as well get your breath back."

            "Where's the door?" Cody asked, peering around.

            "Above us." Sorcerymon tapped on a metal grating that was embedded into the ceiling above them.  It was old and rusted with age, but it still looked functional in the dim light that was coming through from above them.

            "So what's up there?" Davis asked.

            "Last time I went through here it was the basement.  There are a lot of storerooms and such things up there.  Probably by now there are a lot of dungeons as well.  Usually not many people come down here.  Above that were the floors that were accessible to the courtyard, but above that the castle stretches about twenty floors up.  How much power do we have for this?"

            "Hopefully enough." Ken leaned his head down on his fist.  "I have a theory that might be of some use to us."

            "What is it?" Yolei asked.

            "Well, it has to do with TK.  I think his power responds to similar powers, such as Reaver's power.  He tells me that he's stronger than I ever thought.  If he can get near Khartan, they might fight each other into a standstill.  I think that may be our best shot, but if that doesn't work, we've got a lot of power to back ourselves up."

            "And we may have another advantage." Cody looked up from where he had been staring at the dark ground.  "If there are enough people he's thrown into dungeons, we might be able to free them and get them to aid us."

            "So who are we facing?" TK asked.

            "We've seen almost everything." Ken reported, nodding at Sorcerymon.  "Bakemon and other various low powered fighters.  He seems to keep his strongest fighters elsewhere."

            "They're hardly needed here." Sorcerymon grumbled.  "Inside the castle are the strongest in this world.  Sickle, Ravisher, Talon and Bane are all forces on the level of Reaver, and are incredibly strong.  They're inside there together somewhere.  I don't know if they live there, or if this is just their home base, but it could be both or neither.  They're just seen here the most."

            "So we could be outmatched here." Yolei complained.

            "Don't worry.  As long as we're together, nothing is going to stop us." Gatomon replied lightly, jumping out of Kari's arms.

            "We all rested?  All right then, through the gap."

            "Our reports appear to be correct." Piximon informed the assembled group.  "Daemon himself is coming out."

            "But why?" Mimi asked after a moment.  "Why is he coming himself.  He hasn't done this before."

            "She has a point." Palmon continued.  "He has an army.  Why doesn't he use it?  I mean, he could send them after us."

            "And we'd have a hard time tricking them again.  He has to know that." Joe pointed out from where he was sprawled at the foot of a pile of fallen wood.

            "Because we're costing him." Leomon grumbled under his breath, the subterranean vibrations shaking the ground around them.  "We're costing him too much, and he's trying to end it."

            "Izzy, can you explain?" Tai asked, assuming control of the situation.

            "Actually Piximon is best cut out for this.  If you would…"

            "Of course." Piximon pointed at the map of the digital world that Izzy had managed to project in the air in front of them, the continents and mountains floating there in the air without a care.  "To put it bluntly, we cost Daemon too many troops last night, and he needs them more."

            "To do what?" Joe returned.  "He's already far and away the most powerful digimon in the world.  He has enough power to defeat anyone who comes up against him.  What does he care about the people who work for him?"

            "Yeah.  Myostismon didn't seem to care, and neither did the Dark Masters.  They just threw whatever they had at us." Agumon looked confused.

            "But this is now." Piximon pointed at a remote portion on the map where a green valley and a blue lake were clearly outlined.  "Take this, the Verdant Terrace region.  One of the best sources of hardwoods in the world.  Lumber is taken from the forests carefully and shipped down to the more populated lowlands by boat.  But it's also really isolated.  If we attacked there in a few days it would take hours for even Daemon to get out there, and by that time we would have safely escaped to the mountains.  The only way he can stop these raids is to station troops all around the world.  If we cause enough losses, he can kiss his empire goodbye.  Without his troops, his subjects would probably just melt away into the wilderness."

            "But he has a whole army." Gomamon countered.

            "Minus the more than a hundred that we trashed last night." Ogremon looked up from where he was polishing his club.  "And those who accidentally got fried when we attacked Pinnacle.  And those that you've wiped out along the way.  Even if he sent an army of Ultimates after you, you would probably end up butchering half of them before they either overwhelmed us or forced us to retreat and regroup.  And that's too much for him."

            "He knows that he's powerful." Izzy pointed out.  "And he's not afraid of us, so he's coming to take care of us personally."

            "Unfortunately he hasn't yet descended into foolishness." Piximon reported.  "He has brought quite a strong force against us.  Many of his champions are aligned, waiting for a chance to attack and flatten us once again.  Behind them he has brought his personal guard.  You may remember the Daemon Corps.  I heard that it was once destroyed, but whether he resurrected them through the dark arts or merely found replacements I do not know.  Only I know that MarineDevimon, LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon once again move against us."

            "And so what do we have?" Tai asked, considering his options carefully.

            Izzy and Piximon exchanged a rather significant look, something that did not escape the others.  "Digimon." Izzy finally replied.

            "Yeah, well, I knew that.  Could you be a bit more specific?" Tai sounded grumpy now.

            "Well, you haven't been back to the main camp yet today.  Maybe you should go outside and take a look." Izzy pointed out the door.

            "Is this place dead?" Ken asked the others, looking around with a puzzled expression on his face.

            "I have seen cemeteries livelier than this." Cody responded, shaking just a little.  "This place is really spooky."

            "I agree completely." Armadillomon sounded like he was trying to keep an optimistic tone in his voice, but even he was being tried by the circumstances.  Wormmon was just trying to keep his mouth shut.

            Hallway after hallway, line after line of niches, nooks and crannies extended away into a distance shrouded by darkness.  What light there was came through the cracks in boarded up windows, and from strange sources that intimidated Ken to no end.  Everywhere he looked there were strange shadows, that almost seemed to move, and looked too odd to be normal furniture.  Go a few steps and another corridor would suddenly yawn open to one side.  And everywhere was black, black with the darkness that shrouds a house abandoned.

            "This place would make a great haunted house." Cody tried to rub the goose bumps off of his arms.

            "Are you kidding?  Nobody would pay to come here and see this.  They might pay so that they didn't have to." Ken looked around again in the dimness.  "Anyway, I'm not seeing anything.  Let's go back."

            "Right." Wormmon finally said something.  "This whole place is deserted, and that's just spooky."

            How many people do you save when you save a world?  Joe had asked that once when he was feeling philosophical.  He claimed actually that he was nervous and wanted to quantify his achievements, in numbers, so that he could present it to a review board.  How many digimon had their actions saved?

            Tai could have told him.  He could have counted them.  They all seemed to be standing in front of him.  All sorts of digimon, some small and pink in-training versions who clustered around talking to each other as they moved from here to there, some solid and solitary champions.  There were flames as a Meramon moved around, lighting cooking fires with the flames rising from his body.  There were grunts as a group of Mojyamon trooped through, scratching their round bodies with their clubs as they tried to figure out where they were trying to go.  Small and nervous rookies darted between their feet.  Hastily erected tents lay between every tree, above every nook and cranny that they could find, and sometimes there were excavated hollows, or what looked like barely functional nests.  Everywhere digimon were moving, talking, exchanging their views and their opinions, yelling and shouting at each other, and generally making a lot of noise.

            "My God." Matt whispered reverently, echoing the feelings the others were holding.

            After a few more moments of stunned silence Tai turned back to Izzy and asked quietly "How many?"

            "How many who actually want to fight?" Izzy consulted a mental list he had made for a moment before returning his attention to the group's leader.  "At the moment about three hundred, but more arrive every hour."

            "Three hundred!" Mimi yelled.  Everyone's mouth hung a bit slack after that.

            "More or less.  We're having a bit of a problem with them, primarily because digimon aren't big ones for counting.  Each group knows how many they have, but the leaders tend to forget how to add." Piximon confirmed.

            "But where did they all come from?" Joe wanted to know, flabbergasted.

            "Everywhere.  The deep forests where Daemon dares not penetrate.  The empty grasslands where his soldiers never go to avoid being caught and lost.  The hills, those that still run wild and free where digimon can hide without being exposed.  The mountains, where many fled after the first conquests, living in remote valleys and avoiding Daemon's personal soldiers.  There are outposts of digimon living wild and free everywhere." Leomon's deeply resonant voice somehow added more weight to this explanation.

            "But why…" Sora began.

            "Because they owe a debt to you.  To all of you." Piximon floated up in midair, surveying the army gathering around him.  "You digidestined have helped save this world not once but at least twice, and perhaps more times that I do not know about.  You are the ones who stand between this world and eternal darkness.  Perhaps you do not know what it feels like, but for us digimon, even though we know that you are the ones who have the power to do this, sitting here while you go out and face evil is something we do not like.  Now, when you need all the aid we can provide, it is best for us to aid you.  We all would like to feel as if we are truly assisting you digidestined in your quest to save the world from darkness.  This is our help, our assistance, our achievement.  It is the way we work to pay you back for the times you have saved the world and we have done nothing."

            "But you didn't need to do that.  We would have done all this without…" Joe began to say, but Piximon raised his spear to silence him.

            "Think about it Joe.  You would aid your companions anywhere because they have risked their lives to save you.  Likewise these digimon would risk theirs to pay back the debt they owe you.  It takes a lot to unite digimon, we like to fight too much, but the face of evil has done this.  We do not make armies, but for your sake, for the sake of living things everywhere, we will make an exception."

            "They aren't an army yet." Izzy reported.  "But they're willing to pay Daemon back for all he's done to them."   

            "Let's get down to business." Tai pointed.  "Time to come up with a plan."

            "It's getting dark here." Sorcerymon pointed out, as the shafts of light coming down from above began to fade.  "It must be getting into the afternoon again."

            "We aren't going to be able to see anything soon." Hawkmon pointed out unnecessarily.

            "Maybe since we're in the bedroom sections we should rest here, eh?" Davis asked.

            "Excellent idea Davis.  Dibs on the soft bed!" Yolei called, darting into one room.

            "Can we really sleep here?" Ken asked TK under his breath.

            "We better try.  I'd really hate to blunder into Khartan in the dark." TK responded.  "I wish there was a window around here."

            "Well, you can't have everything." Gatomon told him, twitching her tail in an aggravated fashion.  "You're lucky to have what you've got."

            "I wonder why he boarded this level up?" Sorcerymon asked himself, rubbing his chin.

            "I don't know, but I think I can pass on finding out for now."

            Afternoon came slowly and reluctantly, as if it somehow knew that it would not look forward to showing this particular day.  The sun refused to shine above the damp mist that had blown in around eleven, blanketing the whole area in a fog of confusion.

            Piximon pointed out that this should effect their opponents much more than it would affect them.  After all, their opponents had been training more, and were counting on their coordination to get them farther.  Superior numbers were more likely to triumph in the damp conditions of fog, if they indeed had similar firepower.

            And they had superior numbers now.  Even though Tai had, at first, refused to believe it, the numbers kept pouring in.  Almost a hundred Otamamon and Geckomon trooped in about noon, in full formation with sticks tucked under their arms in a fashion they clearly thought of as military.  A whole platoon of Meramon coming from the volcanic wastelands made it in right after that.  Jumping along on their curious non-legs almost fifty Motimon bounced their way into the campsite soon after that, the entire contents of a village not far away.  A herd of Monochromon wandered in not long after that.  Digimon that had never seen each other before this day greeted each other like long lost friends and brothers, trying to establish friendships with people who might be dead in as little as a day.  All over the camp bonds were being forged as those who were ready to fight joined together to prepare for battle.

            "The Digital World is occasionally a savage place." Leomon explained to Tai and Matt.  "Fighting, as much as we wish it was not, is a way of life here.  Now, with the chance to rid themselves of great evil, the tendency of the digimon to fight for themselves and their friends is re-asserting itself.  They are ready to battle if it means they can win their freedom here."

            Izzy and Piximon were frantic, organizing soldiers into ranks, rough companies gradually taking shape, battle planes gradually being formed out of nothing.  Piximon's experience in times past and Izzy's phenomenal organizational skills combined to shape, in one brief time, an army out of a mob.  It was not much of an army, but it looked increasingly like it would do.         

            And Tai had been busy as well.  Walking along with Matt, he had sought out those digimon who looked like they were leaders.  Striding among them they appeared, for a moment, as the legends that the digimon had made them out to be, towering above most rookies and in-training, standing at eye level with many of the champions, with their two partner digimon right behind them.  Tai had inspired courage; Matt had given the digimon confidence.  Many of them were scared, rightfully, coming out to stand against an evil greater than any of them had ever seen.  Many of them had not known of the battles against the Emperor, or the long ago fights against the Dark Masters.  But here Tai came, a living legend from days of heroic myths.  And with him came hard-bitten digimon.  Rookies or not, Agumon and Gabumon were two of the most experienced digimon in the world, and it showed.  With them came a feeling of heady confidence, as if they were now part of the legends that they had told to each other around campfires.  Tai and Matt created, out of a disorganized mass, a confident new beginning.

            Mimi and Joe kept themselves busy as well.  Mimi had the responsibility of trying to keep the energy of these digimon up, taking the supplies that some groups had brought in, and sharing them among the others.  Joe was already organizing what he said were field hospitals.  At the beginning, they did not look like much, but they quickly started to take shape.  It would be up to Joe, as well as some of the other digimon who had volunteered to help him, to run into the battle and retrieve fallen and injured digimon.

            Sora spent nearly the entire time running back and forth among the scouts, keeping a careful eye on Daemon's approach.  She and Biyomon made sure that Daemon was not bringing up any surprises to score on them.  And, fortunately for them, it appeared that he had added no new tricks to his arsenal.  Nevertheless, she kept a sharp eye on the demon monarch.

            Beneath their vantage point groups of digimon tried to march and countermarch through the camp they had established.  It was not to try and get them to look pretty, as Izzy had pointed out, but rather to get them used to working together.  Over to one side target practice was underway, and to another side they were trying out makeshift weapons that Izzy thought might be able to turn the tide.  Here and there digimon stood immobile, as if stunned by the movement around them, but the air of the camp was as of a place where everyone was in motion, trying to meet a deadline that was coming way too soon.

            And then, as the sun finally came out, Daemon came.

            Tai and Leomon had taken up station on a high hill in the middle of a broad and shallow valley, a pinnacle of rock that rose almost thirty meters, the first ten in lush greenery, and the top merely an outcropping of white rock carved into natural towers through erosion.  From there Tai and Leomon could observe the whole field.  Daemon, sensing their presence, his form a lurking menace in the shadow that crawled across the land, formed his army facing them.

            This was outside of the forest, away from traps and deceit.  Here Daemon hoped to use the bulk of his army to intimidate the digidestined.  And it worked.  He had brought easily three hundred digimon, and they arranged themselves in a black mass facing the hill, like a set of jaws open wide to enclose it.  In the middle Daemon stood smirking.  Even from their fortified position it was hard to feel anything but despair, or would have been, had things been unfolding the way they seemed to be.

            "So what do we do?" Matt wanted to know.  His voice was a bit shaky, but nobody could have blamed him for that.  It was clear though, and seemed almost deliberately calm.

            "We wait." Piximon was hovering off to one side, watching them cautiously.  His gaze was fixed on Daemon's army.  "He's trying to scare us into losing, but we're onto him.  It's only when his army starts charging that we respond."

            "Stick to the plan." Tai smiled at his friend, and pounded Matt quickly on the shoulder.

            "Ready?" Matt turned to him.  He held out a hand.

            "Ready." Tai replied with a tight smile.  

            There was a moment of awed silence from the digimon present as the chests of the two digidestined grasped each other firmly.  In both of their chests light flared suddenly, blasting through both of them.  One was a fiery orange, the other a deep piercing blue.  For a moment they melded through the colors of the rainbow into a pure white, and every digimon could feel their muscles expanding with that strength.  Once, not even a day ago, they would have been shaken at this, would have doubted that which came from their hearts.  But things had changed.  They were what they always had been, and not what they feared they might be.

            On the other side, acting on some unspoken signal the opposing digimon sprang forward, closing on the small hillside, roaring in rage and hatred, their voices carrying in a manner designed to drive other opponents from the field in terror.  But Matt and Tai only smiled firmly at each other.  For a moment friendship and courage mixed, and light flooded out.

            "Now!" They both shouted, and the fires of war ignited.

            "Agumon…warp digivolves to…WARGREYMON!"

            "Gabumon…warp digivolves to…METALGARURUMON!"

            As the light faded two powerful Megas stood there, the light gleaming in their eyes.  Light from the new-born sun split down and bounced off their armor, scattering to the four winds.  Edges radiated a new sharpness, as if the digimon they had become were somehow clearer, better defined.  Power radiated from every line.

            "Now that wasn't in the plan." Tai laughed at the sudden change.

            "Izzy'll survive." Matt responded, turning around.

            And then the first wave was upon them.

            Izzy had grouped the strongest hand to hand fighters on the hillside.  Tai had control over Piximon, Leomon, Ogremon, Andromon, Frigimon, the Meramon and, because they were small, courageous and fit in easily, several Koromon.  He also had control over a single Geckomon, not that this was truly necessary.  Tai understood his job well.  Piximon, Leomon and the rest of the digidestined had hashed it out over an hour of difficult conferences, and the rough shape of the plan was known to all the leaders.  He also understood why he was here, he and Matt, the strongest and most powerful of the digidestined fighters, standing facing the darkness.

            The first wave was mostly heavy digimon, big and brutal compared to the others.  A huge Cherrymon led the offensive, around him grouped in a loose formation were Gardromon and Woodmon, the heaviest of those groups selected to take the hill in a single charge.  They lumbered forward like a herd of unstoppable beasts, and it seemed that the ground was shaking under them.  But Tai watched with eyes trained and tempered by long years of digital conflict.

            Cherrymon may have been big, but he was still just a tree.  Two different Meramon caught him in a crossfire from far out.  For a few moments blasts of fire and hypersonic seeds blasted back and forth, but only for a few moments before the giant tree retreated, its upper branches already in fire.  Despite the fact that one had been an Ultimate, the combined powers of spirited Champions was enough to bring him down.  But that was enough time for the others to draw up to the base of the hill.

            Leomon was waiting.  With a roar, and a whirl of his blade, he thundered into battle, weapon flashing in the new sunlight.  He wielded his deadly sword with the skill of a dancer, or a juggler, always keeping it between him and danger, smashing aside his opponents, slicing them until they were forced to retreat from the onslaught.  Ogremon, perhaps not wishing to be outdone by his rival bashed about with his club, relentlessly dodging other attacks, lashing out with elemental fury.  Every now and then the world lit with a flare of orange or purple fire as they clashed with more demanding foes, but they were quickly submerged in their opponents.

            Andromon planted himself firmly in the track the Woodmon were taking.  His first Gatling Attack blasted two separate Woodmon into pieces of digital data, but the rush got closer.  His second blast also did damage, sending several onrushing champions flying through the air, but then they were on him.  He nearly disappeared under them, but reappeared a moment later in a rapidly clearing space, wielding his Lightning Blade like a scimitar to gain respect from those rushing to attack him.  His eyes flashed as he cut through the enemy ranks.  The Gardromon rush was met by the others, Meramon from the heights raining down a steady stream of fire upon them, heating them up until their armor almost glowed.  As they rushed to the top they were met by Frigimon, bashing out in abandon with his Sub-Zero Ice Punch, flash freezing them.  In many cases the stress of being heated and frozen so fast was too much, and the expired on the spot.  Pieces of broken metal flew through the air, only to transform into digital data.

            From far back a squadron of Vilemon tried to bombard the top of the hill to give themselves the advantage.  But Piximon was prepared for this, and a digital barrier rose around him and the entire hill, shielding the inhabitants from the enemy bombardment.  Out of that barrier rose a shape of blue metal and flashing eyes, MetalGarurumon rising to the challenge of battle.  The Vilemon scattered almost immediately, but it was not quite fast enough to prevent some of them from falling in battle.

            An enterprising group of Bakemon managed to float quietly up the back of the hillside.  As they crested the top they were suddenly met by the armored specter of WarGreymon waiting for them.  The ensuing fight was both short and to the point.  It was also very predictable.  And above it all the Geckomon stood back on his heels and let the sweet, proud sound of his horn ring out.

            The horn was the signal, but Izzy, who had an excellent sense of timing, was already moving.  Even as the horn sounded from the hill there was a sudden fanfare of several dozen similar instruments, each one in a different location.  At that signal the long grasses waving carefully in the breeze parted, and the army arose.  It marched off step, in the kind of pattern that only an amateur or a desperate man would accept as a formation.  They were off step, clustered in the wrong places, and spread thinly.  But they were full of determination and spirit, and they were in the right places at the right time.  Most of them were rookies or in-training level digimon, not a match for the champions that made up most of Daemon's armies, but what they lacked in power they were making up in numbers and willpower.  More than that, the sudden appearance of an army on the ridges gave Daemon's forces the biggest loss of morale ever.  They were the digimon who had terrorized the land, had seen the hatred in the eyes of their enemies as they took what those digimon created.  And now they were looking at their worst nightmare, all their enemies returned united to stop them.  They were used to beating up near-defenseless digimon, the presence of such a huge force arrayed against them frightened them, and the lack of their own education scared them.  They were not experienced enough, or knowledgeable enough, to understand the weaknesses that their opponents amateurish formation had, or the advantages that they still possessed.  All they were was frightened.

            The advancing army was grouped in series.  The biggest and toughest digimon, mostly champions who would usually wander the wilderness, were grouped in the second line.  Ahead of them were the small fast fighters who would dart ahead and engage the enemy directly.  Behind them, filling in the gaps, were the smaller ones who had little strength to add.  By adding their firepower to the affair, and filling in gaps when the ones in front fell out of the line, Izzy had hoped to create a solid formation.  The very back row was filled with troops who were more reluctant, but whose missile firepower could add greatly to the battle already underway.  Together, only swaying a little, they charged down the hill at their opponents, trying to avoid giving the enemy a chance to move against them.

            Too late, Daemon recognized his danger, but now the battle was well and truly joined.  As Izzy had hoped Daemon concentrated solely upon the leaders on that central pinnacle of rock, those who had defied him so long.  He had avoided scouting out the countryside, and remained ignorant of the forces waiting to ambush him.  Now Daemon was aware and furious, but the trap was already sprung.

With a howl Daemon sent his reserves airborne, but he was already out of luck, because, for the first time, he was outclassed in the air.  His flying digimon barely had time to get off the ground before the storm was upon them.  With a roar of battle that would have intimidated most dragons Garudamon and MegaKabuterimon rose into the sky, howling for altitude.  Behind them dozens of others arose, Unimon and a squadron of insectoid champions, groups of flying rookies and a few other assorted digimon from the wilds rising into the sky.  Within seconds the air had turned into a giant dogfight, but the superior numbers and determination of the newcomers was clearly showing.  Dark digimon after digimon either turned tail and fled, or tumbled from the sky, sometimes in flames.  The forces of Light could not dominate the skies, but they could keep their enemies from taking it over.

            "Ice Wolf Spikes!" MetalGarurumon drew himself up in the move he had been preparing since the beginning of the battle.  Armored hatches on his body slid open with smooth precision, and a second later there was the blast of smoke that marked the launch of his multiple missiles.  By concentrating he was able to change his usual attack, and now each missile blasted out independently guided tandem, each one seeking a different target.  All across the field dark digimon cried out in sudden pain and fear as death found them, blasting them apart in fragments of digital data.

            At that point the allies slammed into the army of Daemon with an impact that probably could have been heard on the other side of the continent.  The front lines disintegrated into a mess of melee combat as one side and the other tried to slash, bash and generally backstab their way through the other.  Combat was so close that, in many cases, attacks simply were useless, and fighting was carried out tooth and claw to fist.  Here and there loomed the sudden flash of fire, or the descent of teeth, followed by screams and howls, sometimes in rage, sometimes in pain.  Sometimes the screams cut off sickeningly quick.  Digimon collapsed, injured, only to be trampled in the mess and tangle of bodies, sometimes by their own allies and friends.  Everything dissolved into madness.

            Any view of the battle turned into chaos.  Tai saw a brief glimpse of Leomon and Ogremon, now fighting back-to-back in a turning wheel of chaos and destruction, carving their way through the last of the original Woodmon to assault the hill.  For a moment there was a flicker of lightning and Andromon appeared, simply tossing RedVeggiemon around like a salad, sending bolts of flickering lightning down his arms at his opponents.  Then they all disappeared back into the maddening chaos of battle.  In another section Frigimon suddenly loomed above his opponents, cold radiating off of him like flickering flame, driving his opponents back with his aura.  Then he too was gone into the mad rush of battle.  Here a group of Otamamon and Numemon swarmed a single Gardromon, who tried to pick them off as they attacked.  He threw some to the ground, but soon disappeared under the rising tide.  There a Geckomon was crushed savagely under the feet of a group of rampaging Woodmon.  Here there was death, there destruction.  Blood, data and fire became mixed in a huge storm.

            Smaller digimon, most of them on the side of the digidestined, were treated mercilessly, crushed by enemies big enough to ignore them, and sometimes by their own allies.  But they did not die easily, and they did not die alone.  Their refusal to surrender encouraged all the digimon on their side to higher and higher acts of courage.  And though they might be ground underfoot like so much dirt, MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon were doing the same thing to the army of Champions that they had encountered.  From their flashing metal claws, teeth, and the blazing orange and blue fires of their attacks digimon were fleeing.  Disintegrating data always marked the part of the chaos where Matt and Tai were standing, allowing them to be distinguished from the dreadful roar of battle, that elemental beast that threatened to drown them all in sonic fury.

            And then Daemon entered the battle, and everything got worse.

            Izzy watched and waited from his central position.  Around him he could see the continuing disaster and triumph of the battle unfolding, and he tried to focus on what was happening, to ignore the consequences now so painfully obvious.  Everywhere death and destruction spoke to him, telling him of the failure of his plans, but he ignored the voices that spoke disquiet in his head.

            Daemon's right wing and center had drawn up into a huddled mob, determined to stand their ground, trapped between his forces and their master.  Izzy had split his forces into four "companies", and the two companies that had swept down from the right barely outnumbered their opponents, and they managed only to keep their opponents busy, their firepower about evenly matched.  However the left wing had managed to cut off Daemon's left wing, and had surrounded it and had it heavily outnumbered.  Izzy's plan was simple, finish off the left wing, now separated, and then unleash those soldiers, plus the ones on the rock and his last reserves to drive straight through to Daemon.  For a moment it looked as if that plan would actually work.

            But when Daemon moved Izzy changed his strategy, switching to the one he had originally planned on.

            "Finally." He whispered, and unleashed the final assault.

            Daemon came with the thunder of his fire pushing ahead of him, broadcasting his place and intent to all who came before him.  His presence inspired terror in his foes, confidence in his servants.  His guards came with him, massive MarineDevimon, oozing primal darkness, slim LadyDevimon, laughing terribly and cruelly, SkullSatamon, a brute with eyes that glowed with interior evil.  Everywhere he went other digimon fled in terror, abandoning the field to him.

            But his presence was the signal that they had all been waiting for.

            "Wing Blade!" Garudamon went first, flame spearing toward the ground, blasting a huge hole in the ground, sending pieces flying everywhere, lighting the world with sparks.  The attack, as Leomon had explained patiently, was merely a diversion, something to get the attention of the ground-based attackers while the rest of the soldiers sprang into action.

            Izzy's last reserves, held back especially for this moment, also sprang forward.  Centarumon had been waiting since the beginning of the battle for the moment when Daemon would commit himself, would lose his distant position of command.  Now, involved in the battle, the mega was too busy to pay attention to things on the outskirts.  With that, Centarumon, along with a group of Monochromon and a few Tyrannomon sprang forth onto the field of battle.  The ground thundered away under their feet, warning those in their path of the oncoming horde, and allowing them to brace for battle.  But the new arrivals were not interested in fighting.  They were simply to trample the enemy formations into the ground, blasting targets of opportunity, and break the formation up.  Their arrival made the battle even more chaotic, but the focus of conflict shifted away from them almost as quickly.

            Daemon was engaged in the middle, coming to the rescue of his beleaguered center, but he was unable to aid the wings as they came under attack from increasingly vicious opposition.  The charge of the cavalry came when he was otherwise engaged.  Had he remained aloof and separated from battle he could have halted the charge easily, but, as it was, he was occupied and completely ignorant of the havoc being wreaked on his troops.

            But now everyone was zeroing in on him.  He might have been powerful enough to attract everybody's attention, but that only made him more a target.  Even as he strode through another line of soldiers all six digimon belonging to the digidestined swooped down on him, blazing with power.  There was an exchange of power as the two groups blasted each other, and then there was a pause in the battle as a whole.  

            Daemon's almost annihilated left wing fled the field.  His other forces stayed in place, but looked as if they were going to run away.  They probably were, Izzy thought, if their master got defeated.  Daemon, standing alone in the middle of the field, was surrounded by every one of the digimon that they had managed to draft.  Leomon and Ogremon, Andromon and Frigimon, all of them stood firm against the evil monarch in a straight line that showed no sign of wavering.  Piximon floated overhead, his spear still a banner for all to follow.  Digimon on both sides were suddenly aware of what was going on, and their was a shift in the lines of battle.  Nobody wanted to die while the true battle was going on elsewhere.

            The battle lulled as digimon withdrew and prepared to watch the titanic clash that was preparing itself in the middle of the field.  Everyone knew that this was where the true battle would take place, and that everything else was insignificant compared to this clash of arms.  

            For a long moment they just stared at each other, each side taking the measure of the other side, neither group wanting to back down.

            Then they charged.


	10. White Knight

Disclaimer: Digimon is not owned by me.  
Author's Note: Sorry that this took so long to come out. I've realized that I have a monster   
rewrite job headed my way, and school started and excuses, excuses, excuses. I hope it   
doesn't end up too long to keep you interest. Sparrow9 pointed out an inconsistency that I   
didn't quite explain in the story. Ken is banking on TK having done enough without his   
powers, and is interpreting Gennai to mean that his powers can only come out in a limited fashion.   
It remains to be seen who is right.   
  
**

Episode XXIII  
White Knight

**  
  
_ "In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer." _  
-Albert Camus  
  
"Evil Inferno!" Flames blasted out a wide circle around Daemon, and the charge ground to a halt with sudden fury. Fire and determination met for a few moments as everything held still, and then the combatants separated themselves for a moment to look each other over.  
Oblivious to the battle in the middle of the field MarineDevimon and Zudomon were slowly circling each other, each one looking for a weakness that they could exploit. Both of them claimed dominance of the seas, and it was obvious that they had fostered an intense dislike of each other. Above, through the air there was movement and current as Garudamon, Unimon and LadyDevimon eyed each other warily, waiting for the other to begin their movement. SkullSatamon raised one eyebrow in an appraising way, but there was no reply from Piximon, who fluttered facing him, but the merest twitch of an eye, easily mistaken. For a moment everything was stillness, the other digimon belonging to the digidestined, along with the other heroes come to support them facing Daemon in a vast ring.  
"So you wish battle." Daemon looked at his foes with consideration. "I will grant that your confidence and skill has improved somewhat since our last meeting. Still you have only two who are truly capable of causing me concern. I think I shall discuss with them, and let the rest of you deal with other things." He waved his hand.  
"Look out!" Tai shouted, and lunged backward, but he was not quick enough. He and Matt had been standing next to MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon when Daemon waved his hand and now they could only watch in horror as the ground erupted around them in blue fire. For a moment it looked like they were doomed to be consumed in Daemon's flames, but the fires died after a moment as they were forced skyward by Daemon's will.   
A second later the two Megas and their two human companions were enclosed by a solid hemisphere of blue light, similar to something that might have come out of a holographic light display. The two humans looked like they were trying to panic but their digimon were standing calm and statuelike, awaiting the fight they knew was coming. Daemon relaxed his posture, but the glowing field remained in place, a barrier that split the team in half.  
"What is that?" Sora yelled. MegaKabuterimon howled in challenge, and a brilliant bolt of energy shot down from him, only to disperse harmlessly on the surface of the barrier. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to repel their attacks.  
"He intends to keep this fight separate." Izzy told them unnecessarily. "He just wants to have it out with the two of them while we cannot interfere."  
"Now what do we do?" Joe asked, clutching his head.  
"We have to help them!" Mimi yelled.  
"No we don't." Izzy was surprisingly calm. "We just have to believe in them, in the fact that they can win, as much as they believe in us. This is their fight now, and all we can do is help from afar."  
"That isn't" Joe began when Piximon moved. Or it could have been SkullSatamon, nobody was really sure, but in one second they went from stationary and immobile to speeding bullets, suddenly ricocheting across the landscape. Izzy remembered their last confrontation with SkullSatamon, how easily he had overwhelmed even Ultimate level digimon and realized that this was an Ultimate whose like they had not seen before, something powerful beyond what most normal digimon could hope to achieve. But he had never appreciated Piximon's skills before. Only a flare of light, as bright as the sun, had marked his battle against the Dark Masters, but here it was quickly obvious that he might even have grown in power since then. As fast as SkullSatamon moved his staff to attack with his devastating energies, Piximon's spear moved just as fast, and the clash of their weapons created flashes of light all over the battleground. The speed that they were moving at was phenomenal, and they literally covered the entire valley in seconds, bouncing off each other like hyper-active billiards balls.  
Flashes exploded across the battlefield, fire and wind gusts tore through lines both friendly and enemy, and in that moment that battle resumed. LadyDevimon shot forward, sending darkness ahead, but Garudamon dived out of the way. Unimon simply moved, so fast that all you could see was a blur, and the evil digimon suddenly found herself plowing through merely empty air. MarineDevimon and Zudomon leapt at each other at the same moment, tearing through the air like rockets, and their collision shook the earth. A moment later they were a mess of brawny arms and squirming tentacles writhing at each other in fury. The lines of battle thundered together once more, and the dark digimon found themselves beset by the forces of the Light, but they had gained precious moments to rest and regroup, and now the battle threatened to wage hopelessly out of control.  
But the digidestined barely watched, their attention fixed on what was happening inside the globe.  
  
"So, we meet again." Daemon seemed content to wait for them. Themselves, they preferred to wait for him to come to them.  
"But things have changed." WarGreymon's voice was confident, and Tai suddenly realized how much he had missed his huge partner. Light shown from him, reflecting off the armored surfaces like rainbows, and the fires of the sunrise burned in his claws.  
"The tide has turned, evil one." MetalGarurumon stalked around his foe like the wolf he was, every step slow, cautious, careful, but every movement revealing that he too was ready to spring into action. There was nothing about his movements that seemed casual, he looked like a trap, ready to spring shut on his opponent.  
"The fires of war bracket the world. There is nothing that you can do to stop it." Daemon stepped forward slowly, one single step that seemed to shake the earth.  
"But in fire is steel forged. And in blood is the blade of war tempered." WarGreymon stepped forward. "We have learned. You and your kind have taught us well over the years. We will not yield to you, no matter the guise that you bring before us. You are a demon, ancient enemy of the angels of old. You fear the Asrana'Dactal like no other, and we know some of it. We are champions of this world, named and ordained by powers which you will never understand or be able to match." With every word his claws rose until they seemed to point straight at his opponent.  
"As long as we stand, you will not prevail. We are strong enough to resist you, once, and for all. We will throw you out, and then there will be peace, for a time. We will stand, and you will not defeat us." MetalGarurumon had finally stopped, crouching in preparation for the spring.  
"Then I will see to it that you do not stand long." Daemon responded. And leapt.  
He was aiming for WarGreymon, hands spread wide, unholy flames gathering on their edges as if he was going to seize the Mega and let his fire burn through armor and into the tender flesh beneath. But the world suddenly erupted in a blur of blue and silver and MetalGarurumon slammed into Daemon like a battering ram, seeking to sink metal-shod teeth into the monarch's skin. Daemon flailed once and MetalGarurumon bounced off, but the Mega landed on his feet and was up and in the air again in an instant, eyes glowing at the sounds of battle.  
WarGreymon charged through the gap to the left. Daemon released a blast of force through his hands, but WarGreymon cut it apart with his glowing claws, diving forward to meet his enemy. There was a light in his eye that reminded Tai briefly of the battles of his former glory days, the days when he had stood against the darkness.  
"Mega Claw!" He howled, and his claws came alight with the fires of the sun itself. As the snapped through the air they left tracks of dancing flamelets behind, as if he was igniting the very air itself. Daemon responded by throwing up walls of fire and constructs of flame in his path, concentrating upon this fearsome apparition. Steel and fire met, clashed, flamed, and burst asunder. Every time they clashed they bounced apart again in showers of flaming sparks, lighting the air around them like a fireworks display. WarGreymon seemed to be making progress when Daemon growled in anger and lashed out with pure force, catching the Mega unawares and sending him tumbling backwards. He growled something rude as he got to his feet.  
"Now it is time to finish you. Evil Inferno!" Fire reached out toward WarGreymon in a torrential rush. Tai's heart went into his mouth.  
"Ice Wolf Claw!" A blast of freezing ice responded, crystallizing what water there was left in the air into ice. For a moment Daemon and MetalGarurumon stood facing each other, each one struggling against the other with all their strength, sending fire and ice back and forth like two tornadoes trying to fight with each other. But then Daemon burst through the blasts of cold, only to find that MetalGarurumon, reacting with the reflexes of a true wolf, was no longer there. He was aloft again, trying to get out of the way.  
"These guys talk too much." WarGreymon complained as he slammed a metal-clad hand down on Daemon'' head. During the exchange of fire he had managed to speed up behind the demon, and the shattering sound of the impact renewed Tai's faith in his companion.  
"Evil Inferno!" Fires leapt at the armored warrior, who was already shooting back into the sky.  
"Terra Force!" This was not the true power of WarGreymon, because the ball of energy gathered was actually very small, but it was enough to counter the split second Inferno Daemon had released. And then MetalGarurumon was leaping back into the fray.  
  
  
"Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon brought his hammer down on MarineDevimon's head for the third time and the huge squid-like mass of blackness dissolved into shards of digital data. The now bruised marine mammal stood up and began to lumber off toward the next fight that he could see.  
"How are we doing?" Sora asked, as she turned away from the sky. Above LadyDevimon had just blundered into a trap, swatted from the sky like a bug as the renewed warriors of the Light took to the air, driving the darkness back. The skilled and experienced Garudamon, having just broken the formidable digimon's back with a single blow took the task of driving the other digimon away from there with vigor. LadyDevimon tried to struggle upright, her face alive with venom, but her back simply would not support her and she collapsed, cursing.  
"I don't know." Izzy admitted. His attention was split between the titanic struggle inside the dome, and the blurred movements of Piximon and SkullSatamon, who were still blurring around the battlefield. He was also trying to direct the battle itself, but it seemed to have resolved itself into an uneven match. Digimon on both sides were hugging the ground, exchanging fire, nobody willing to begin the charge that would end the battle, especially with the true confrontation taking place not so far away. Since nothing they did would likely have an effect upon the battle itself, they were now unwilling to die for a cause that they saw as already won.  
"It all depends on Tai and Matt now." Joe pointed out, looking up from where he was bandaging the arm of an injured Monzaemon. He had set up a little field hospital there in the middle of the battleground, and was trying to patch up as many digimon as he could. Mimi was helping him, getting injured digimon to lay down and wait their turn for the doctor's aid. Digimon were scrambling into his tent, carrying the bodies of fallen companions. Some of them came in a state that was as near to death as a digimon could get without crossing that fatal line, but others were still full of fire. They only wanted to get their wounds wrapped up so they could get back to the fight.  
"Somehow I think it always did." Izzy mused, watching the battle progress. He had temporarily given up on the rest of the battle, a reasonable decision considering that there truly was nothing for him to do their anyway. He was smart enough to understand what was happening inside the dome, and to realize how important it was. Izzy sighed as a familiar feeling came back to him. All of the effort he had expended for the team had given them the chance to win, but now all he could do was watch from the sidelines as the battle raged on elsewhere.  
"Finish him guys!" Sora cheered.  
  
"Let's do this." WarGreymon howled. He was rising from the ground again after being thrown there once more, but he looked just as angry as ever.  
"Commencing attack." MetalGarurumon darted in, but this time, instead of closing with his opposition he veered off at the last moment and unleashed a barrage of fire that nearly knocked Daemon down.  
"Terra Force!" This time the globe of fire looked like the sun, and was probably as big. Hauled over WarGreymon's head it framed him for a moment, and then plunged downward, blasting the dirt from around where Daemon was, obscuring all in fire. Light and shadow danced across the earth in concert, as the world rocked beneath them.  
"We won!" Tai yelled, but Matt restrained his enthusiasm with a cautioning hand.  
"Fools!" Daemon roared, but this time he was not disinterested and board, but angry, horribly angry and ready to unleash his fury on any who would be foolish enough to stand against him. "Evil Inferno!"  
This time the flames were not the cheerful flames of home or even the ravenous beasts that he had unleashed earlier against his enemies. These were the infernos of truth and legend, burning their way across the ground like a firestorm. WarGreymon was thrown to the ground helpless in the face of that power, power that tossed him around like a rag doll. MetalGarurumon fell back under that assault, steadily loosing ground to that tornado of fire.  
"He means to finish it." WarGreymon grunted as he was slammed into the ground again.  
"If we are to act, it must be now." MetalGarurumon continued.  
A cold, knowing certainty came over Tai and Matt. There were no words for this, no reason in the madness that had overcome them all, only knowledge, and with it, comfort. And perhaps hope. Without knowing why they stepped toward each other, until they were so closed that they were almost not touching, but not quite. Their crests ignited in fires that others would have been hard pressed to interpret, and harder pressed to look at. But the other digidestined stared into the heart of the new star that had blossomed their with expressions of rapture in their faces.  
  
The darkness closed in on the sleeping digidestined, but there was a disturbance in the air. Patterns of dust unchanged for years were suddenly swept away by a wall of power, as the tides of destiny bent and changed around them. Even as Ken settled down for a fitful night of rest, he was shocked by the sudden change in light around them. Then he realized where it was coming from.  
TK and Kari jerked back upright, both of them with eyes wide and chests flaming with unearthly light, power blasting out of them like water from a fountain. They opened their mouths in unison and yelled to whatever gods were listening.  
"The Hour Has Come! It Is Time!"  
  
Izzy tried to describe it later and failed. To start with, he claimed, there was a feeling that they were all together. It was hard to tell where, maybe in a park for a picnic, or maybe hiding in some room in school, having lunch. All that you knew is that it was warm and comfortable and safe and all of your friends were there, waiting for you, waiting to talk to you, or laugh with you, or share with you. You could still feel the danger lurking in the background, but it had changed, become less urgent. Disaster fell away like it had never been there before.  
He looked around, laughing and smiling, at the others' faces. Sora, now renewed and in the full splendor of her youthful vigor, energy fairly screaming about its presence from the center of her heart. Joe, tall, calm and collected now, he was not smiling as wildly, but confidently, as if his heart was full to bursting inside. Mimi, more beautiful than ever, her hair falling around her in shimming waves, looking like she was ready to start dancing around them. And most of all Matt and Tai, standing together like the friends they were, the light of their regard for each other practically radiating off of them like rain pouring off the sides of a building during a storm.  
He was aware of other faces. It seemed Ken and Davis were there, and Yolei and Cody, and especially the glowing forms of TK and Kari. All of their strength seemed to be pouring out, gathering in a pool, draining from them, but, like love, the more they gave, the more they seemed to have. Behind them lurked other faces, some of them looked familiar, and for a moment Izzy had a glimpse of Michael, and Willis and Neriko and other digidestined that normally lived all over the world, joining in. Behind them were faces and figures that Izzy could not identify at all. Some of them looked almost inhuman, some of them were old, some were young. Some were flickering flames, while some of them radiated great power like the sun. But they only appeared as visions, as phantoms, as ghosts made flesh, giving some of what they were, their indisputable essence, into the pool of power gathering beneath them, smiling at the others who watched them, returning love and friendship with more of the same.  
And in the distance he could see the battlefield, a point of drab, ordinary colors amid the blessed surroundings of heaven. But it was there that they were all concentrated, and he could only watch in amazement as the sky around the field, and then the field itself, changed to black. There were only two digimon, MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon, outlined in light. And then they began to change.  
Carefully, as if they had been built only for this purpose, the two Megas began to fold up. Arms contracted, torsos disappeared into the steady swelling of their heads. And then, when it seemed that all that would be left would be the empty shells of their skulls, from those shells arose huge mechanical constructs. For a moment they looked peculiarly like construction equipment, and then Izzy realized that he was watching the formation of giant arms. And then  
There was light, and singing, and music, and power. That much he was sure of. But there was also something else, a sense of joining, a sense of everything made right again. A sense of rebirth from fire. Out of a symphony of light and strength, something took shape, took physical form, rising from the ashes.  
A cloak whirled, white and smooth cloth rising, controlled somehow without a force visible, to reveal scarlet beneath. A head, braced by a single forward pointing horn rose, and inside the eye sockets two eyes flared to life, both staring across the field with the utmost concentration.  
The image solidified. The dream vanished, the wall of fire surrounding him exploded and vanished.  
And, with a footstep that shook the world, Omnimon stepped out of legend and onto the field of battle.  
  
He had changed. His armor had grown, his claws had shrunk, but some things were the same. He did not just reflect light, he glowed, like a star that had once been falling, but had decided to stop. Light shone from him in waves, gently washing over the world, illuminating everything in a silver glow. Armor covered his chest, bracing him against the elements, against all who would come and stand against him, but all of that was nothing compared to the fire in his eyes, fire that simply would not go out.  
He was the ultimate knight, a construct of technology, magic and prowess, and it showed. Every line, every movement displayed a power and majesty that none had yet experienced.  
"Daemon." He rumbled, ominously like storm clouds gathered on the horizon. "You who once strode the land in search of conquest, you who once betrayed all that we hold dear. Your presence here is an abomination, and must cease. Your rule is a thing of evil, lies and trickery and it shall be brought to an end. This pointless battle will cease."  
"You know Paladin, I never liked you much anyway." Daemon also was acting more serious, vibrating the earth itself with his words. "And I don't think I'm going to obey your nonsensical little commands. Rule is a matter of power, and the truth is that you don't have the power to force me to do anything."  
"Perhaps." Omnimon stalked across the intervening ground, each step eating up another precious piece of earth. "That remains to be seen."  
"You cannot defeat a true monarch of evil. A servant of the greater darkness remains beyond you." Daemon began to circle warily, eyes never leaving his opponent.  
"I am anointed champion of this world. I wield power equal to anything that can threaten this world." Omnimon stopped and glared at his opponent.  
"I am not of this world. You have no dominion over me." Daemon stopped, obviously awaiting something.   
"That is a distinction that has yet to be tested."  
There was a long, still moment as they both stared at each other.  
"Evil Inferno!" The flames reached out from Daemon's hand, but this time they stopped a few meters away from him, coalescing into a sword of burning unholy flame. An evil light burned from his eyes, and he charged forward.  
"Transcendent Sword!" WarGreymon's maw opened on Omnimon's left hand, and a huge sword blade, inscribed with ancient runes, erupted, glowing with silver fire. Omnimon stepped, pivoted, and charged.  
The clash of blades was tremendous, sparks were sent flying everywhere, showering the ground with miniature firestorms. Lightnings flared between them. As fast as the first stroke was deflected, another fell, and the two continued. Daemon was striking rapidly, his sword swinging around his hand without movement, only with the direction of his malevolent will. Omnimon's arm sometimes seemed to blur as they struggled back and forth. High strokes and low were parried with flashes of light, thrusts were knocked aside, swings deflected. The ground beneath them began to bubble with the titanic fury of the battle taking place above, shattering the ground. Tai and Matt were shoved against the walls of the bubble by the sheer force of the battle taking place.  
"Now what?" Joe asked nervously.  
"We watch." Sora replied seriously. She could feel it swelling through her, through all of them, the steady thrum of power. In a sense all of them had been combined to make that monster digimon, that knight in shining armor that bestrode the battlefield like a titan out of myth. There was a strength there that they had never truly understood before, the impact of a dozen digidestined working as a team, standing against an evil powerful enough that they were all needed to take it down. She could feel her heart beat against her chest as she realized that her two best friends in the entire world were standing inside that dome, with that warrior. She knew that they were still in danger, but somehow she refused to believe it, and her heart swelled as she embraced their forthcoming triumph.  
At last, after what seemed like an eternity of fighting their way up and down the field, exchanging blow for blow, the two combatants separated, almost like boxers returning to their corners to lick their wounds. But they did not stay there. Like the inexorable machines of war they were, they both raised their arms.  
"Evil Inferno!" A raging ball of fire shot from Daemon's outstretched arm.  
MetalGarurumon's jaws opened. With a click and a roar there was suddenly a huge cannon barrel protruding from them, maw opened wide in preparation for destruction. Fire glowed in the barrel for a moment, and then Omnimon roared "Supreme Cannon!"  
This time the winner was obvious, the ball of white fire overwhelmed the raging firestorm and blasted toward Daemon, but the evil digimon had already flitted out of the way, riding on the disruption created by the cannon blast. Instead of hitting him the blast shot forward and hit the inner edge of the barrier. The barrier bent under the weight, stretching like a dome made of rubber, and then snapped back, and the globe of fire slammed into the ground and detonated, illuminating everything.  
"No good. He's too fast." Omnimon muttered to himself. And then he leapt forward. "Transcendent Sword!"  
"Evil Inferno!" The swords of fire and light clashed again, slamming into each other with a force that sent the entire earth vibrating. Light and shadow exploded off of each other, bouncing in different directions, and then both warriors hit the ground, each one facing the opposite direction from their opponent. Within less then a second they had spun around, blades out again, descending like bolts from above, clashing and slashing their way through each other. Sparks flared again as they crashed together, and with a suddenness that astounded the observers, they both clattered down to the ground. Omnimon got to his knees, his sword trailing on the ground as if too heavy, but Daemon managed to get his feet under him and spring at his foe's unprotected back.  
"Omnimon!" Tai and Matt both yelled as one.  
But Omnimon was already moving with a speed that belied his earlier seeming inability to move, his right arm coming up cat quick.   
"Supreme Cannon!"  
Daemon tried to throw himself out of the way, but he was not entirely successful, and the edge of the blast batted him around like a tennis ball. But he was still able to bring his sword up and block Omnimon's descending Transcendent Sword. Once again they were off, blades clashing in a fury of arms that raised an echoing din around the world.  
"Look at them go." Izzy whispered.  
"I must admit." Leomon had come up behind them, taking advantage of the lull in the battle outside to observe the true confrontation. "I am a master of many kinds of schools of sword fighting, but this is beyond me. I think Omnimon might actually be using the legendary Asrana'Dactal. I thought that nobody alive knew that. Then again, I thought he was only a legend."  
"Omnimon?" Joe asked curiously, taking his attention momentarily off the swordplay within the dome.  
"Yes, we have legends of the shining knight of the Digital World, but I had always thought that they were just that, legends. But now, to see him in person, it is something beyond even what the legends describe."  
"What do the legends say?" Izzy asked absently.  
"That should evil ever conquer, that there can be created a single digimon out of the two strongest warriors, and that he shall retain in himself the power to stand against all evil. He shall be a knight, bearer of the ancient Asrana'Dactal style, a being whom the angels taught long ago." Leomon looked pensive for a moment. "Once he appeared before, and then disappeared. We do not know much of the great war, so long ago, only that this warrior in front of us is beyond powerful."  
"Evil Inferno!" Daemon surrounded himself with a wall of fire, masking his presence, covering everything so that all Omnimon could see was a wall of steady flames, obscuring all vision. Fires raged everywhere, and behind it all he could hear Daemon's laugh. Omnimon quickly considered his options, and then quietly closed his eyes.  
"What's he doing?" Matt asked in astonishment.  
There was a flicker, a flicker of power and a small change in the currents of destiny. Without opening his eyes Omnimon sprang, half turning, his sword arm coming around in a huge arc, and Daemon's blade, which had just appeared coming through the wall of flames, bounced off it, brutally crushed to one side. If Daemon himself had been a little less aware, he might have gotten sliced open by the backswing. As it was he only barely managed to throw himself out of the way, and a piece of his sleeve was sliced over.  
But now Omnimon had another problem. A quick glance confirmed what it was. Matt and Tai were now bruised, scorched, partially burnt, and trapped inside the dome with the battle of the century. Omnimon thought that he could shatter the dome, but not without taking enough attention off of the battle to finish him. He needed to finish this now.  
"What's wrong?" Sora asked outside the dome, looking in at Omnimon's sudden refusal to attack.  
Izzy gasped in shock. "It's Matt and Tai."  
"What?"  
"They're trapped inside the dome. At the rate that those two are tearing things up, we aren't going to be able to find enough of them to bury by the time they're done with this. He needs a way to end this."  
"But how?" Leomon asked. "Daemon is a fearsome opponent. This battle could last for hours before one of them makes a mistake."  
But Izzy was already thinking rapidly, his mind going back to the beginning of the battle. His eyes jerked open as the idea came to him.  
"Omnimon!" He screamed.  
  
In the middle of the battle the white knight paused, memories and ideas flooding into his head. All the strength of the Digidestined had gone into making him, and now he could feel their thoughts, especially the thrown thought of Koushiro Izumi, piercing his mind like a beam of light. He looked at Daemon with a new light burning in his eyes.  
One arm came up, white light began to gather, fire began to build. Daemon smirked and waited for the shot to come, waiting for a repeat of the last time this had happened. Omnimon ignored him and concentrated. He was doing this by instinct now, by the senses granted to him by his maker, by his intuition, by the feel of the battlefield. The warrior's instincts, inborn into him, the little of the Asrana'Dactal he actually knew, all of it combined quickly into one feeling. There was nothing to back it up, but he was a warrior, and he would go with his gut.  
"Supreme Cannon!" The blast of light was moving quicker this time, like a lightning bolt, blasting out from Omnimon's arm.   
Daemon watched it coming, and managed, with the utmost of effort, to barely get out of the way. The blast continued on sailing toward the edge of the barrier.  
"Again with the useless techniques?" Daemon smirked, but Omnimon paid him no attention, instead watching something behind him. Too late Daemon felt the change in the currents, the alteration in power, the rippling of fate. Too late he felt something behind him.  
The globe of fire had not dissipated. It had hit the barrier, been stretched, distorted, and had rebounded like a basketball, screaming across the ground with a howl of fury. Now, even as Daemon began to turn, became aware of the extent of his peril, it was already too late, a globe of fire was coming for him, and it was already too close to stop.  
The explosion was immense, rocking the damaged earth one more time. In the distance old trees fell, collapsing under their own weight. Birds took flight miles away, and all over the field the battle stopped completely. And Daemon was struck hard in the back, his eyes open in horror he lurched out of the all-consuming explosion, fires running up and down his now tattered clothes. He screamed in pain, and looked curiously thin and used up, like a threadbare doll as the explosion threw him forward.   
Toward Omnimon.  
And the white knight of the Digital World, who had been expecting this very moment, leapt forward himself. His eyes burned with cold fire, but all his effort was concentrated down into one arm, waiting for the moment in which to use it, to end this once and for all. And then, as Daemon's eyes widened one last time, as time slowed down, Omnimon thrust forward.  
"Transcendent Sword!" He roared, in a voice that shook the leaves from the trees.  
"Go!" Tai and Matt yelled at once.  
And the blade, glowing with the silver fire of transcendent light thrust forward with all the weight and hope of the world behind it. And Daemon, reeling helplessly from the explosion, hit the tip with a sickening crunch. For a moment he just looked odd, ridiculous, a puppet whose strings had been cut. And then the massive sword protruded from his back, and his eyes, first red, faded to black. Silver fire burst through his body, raging unchecked, and burnt it to ash. And then, while his scream of agony still echoed in the air, the monarch of the digital world, the tyrant of a thousand nations, destroyer of cities and shatterer of empires toppled from the blade of a glowing sword and dissolved into a million pieces of data.  
And then it was over.  
  
The barrier fell. Matt and Tai collapsed as one. Omnimon looked at the suddenly silent battlefield with a dark and intimidating glance, his eyesight finally falling on the one movement still left on the field. With one massive arm he reached out and plucked SkullSatamon out of the air with the jaws of MetalGarurumon. Beside him Piximon also stopped. Both digimon were scarred, singed and battered, but they both were very definitely alive.  
"Flee from here." Omnimon stared at SkullSatamon with one burning eye. "Return to your master. You know of whom I speak. Tell him that his puppet has been destroyed, his plans upset, and destiny changed. Tell him that I, that we, are coming for him. And then never return." He released his captive.  
SkullSatamon looked at the massive knight for a moment, and then vanished upwards in a blur of speed, not wanting anything to do with the more powerful digimon. Omnimon narrowed his gaze and looked at the others still walking on the field. "That goes for you as well. Those who served Daemon may leave here in peace. But should I find any of you here in an hours time who are not too injured to move, it will go ill for you." The fire in his gaze gave those around him no doubt what that meant.  
An hour later the battlefield was empty.  
  
"So Daemon has fallen." Khartan frowned momentarily, or at least gave the impression of having done so under his cloak of shifting blackness.  
"He is Master." Bane repeated.  
"I told you that you did not have to call me that. Bah, never mind. The question is now what happens next. I did not expect him to fall so soon, but it is certainly not unexpected. Are we ready for the next phase of the great plan?"  
"Of course sire."  
"That's not much better Bane. Very well, we will wait on the Digidestined invading my castle to make their move, and then go to phase two."  
"My lord's will."  
"Bane, you begin to irritate me."  
  
"So what's the plan?" Sora asked again.  
Everywhere in the narrow campground was the sound of wounded digimon groaning and mumbling. Joe was gone, working overtime on bringing digimon back up to strength. He was more cheerful than they had seen him in some time, finally with something he could do. He was making a difference again, and there was nobody killing others around him. Mimi had gone with him to help him out. Both of them had been changed by the constant stream of the dead and wounded, but they were still, at heart, themselves, and they would hold onto that for the rest of their life.  
Sora and Izzy were watching over the comatose bodies of Tai and Matt, both of whom had not regained consciousness after leaving the battlefield. They had been carried with the greatest of care to this place and deposited here with honor. Sora wondered for a moment if the resemblance of lying in state suggested an uncertain future but Izzy shrugged as he looked over the burns and other marks.  
"Well, their clothes are totaled, but they should be able to go again tomorrow. It doesn't look like they have any permanent damage, and they're probably just exhausted from giving Omnimon all their energy. Which puts us right on Gennai's deadline. I think what we should do it tomorrow, just find the gate and get to the others. It is what we came here for after all."  
"Right." Sora began her vigil.  
  
Outside the celebration was underway. It was quiet and subdued, because there was not a single digimon there who did not know somebody either injured or deleted, but it was a celebration nonetheless. Everyone knew that they had, through rising together and fighting together, rid themselves of an evil monarch. The forces of darkness had fled the land for a time. Already the fastest and most rested digimon had been sent out to spread the message, that Daemon had been met and defeated on the fields of the Digital World.  
Digimon who had known precious little to cheer about in the past years, who had spent months hiding in the brush and the wilderness, afraid that the simple comforts of home would bring evil to their doorstep threw back their heads in wild abandon. The digidestined had been triumphant, the Digital World was free of evil once more.  
And the tales were already starting to spread. Tales of digimon that had taken a stand against evil and, with the power of their own hearts and the strength of their own bodies, had driven an unknowable evil back into the depths. The tales would spread as the digimon come back home, and give them to their children, and their friends and their neighbors. And in time the legends would grow until the deeds would have filled a dozen battles, but the message would remain the same. Digimon could fight for themselves, and win, and could drive off evil if they stuck together. It was a message that would never, ever cease.  
The fire of freedom had been lit, its flames would never die.  



	11. The Other Side of the Door

Disclaimer: I don't own, nor do I claim to own Digimon or its associated products. This was not written for financial gain or for any type of commercial advantage.  
Author's Note: Well, here I am again, despite my theories running far behind schedule. So it goes I guess. Anyway, this here is the real kick-off for the rest of the plot. I hope it does a good job. Remember to review.  
  


**Episode XXIV  
The Other Side of the Door  
**   
_"'Thus we meet again, though all the hosts of Mordor lay between us,' said Aragorn. 'Did I not say so at the Hornburg?'"  
_J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings part three, The Return of the King  
  


"At least it's brighter in here." Yolei pointed out as they walked up the hallways. There was, as Ken had pointed out, no point in sneaking, or creeping or anything of the sort. The hallways were brightly lit, and simple now. Plated in gold and marble they reflected light everywhere, and anything trying to walk across the floors would be instantly revealed. Stealth was useless, but it seemed that there was no need. After all, the place was still deserted.  
"I don't like this." Sorcerymon admitted. "We've been following these tracks all day, but I don't know where all the people who should be here are."  
"How many did Leomon have?" Gatomon asked, sitting down on a statue.  
"Hundreds." Sorcerymon replied, puzzled. "I could have sworn that you couldn't run this castle without them."  
"It can't take that many, can it?" Kari asked, sounding puzzled.  
"You might be surprised." Sorcerymon pointed at the light globes now illuminating the area. "It used to take six digimon alone to replace used up globes. It takes about twenty to dig the dirt out of the underground wells, lest they fill up on us again. It takes all kinds to keep this place running, and here it seems to be running without them."  
"I don't like it either." Ken muttered. "I have a feeling we're walking into a trap."  
"It won't be the first one." Patamon pointed out in a rather singsong voice.  
"Yes, but I don't want it to be the last one either." Ken sounded frustrated. "I just wonder what's happening."  
"And who makes these." Kari pointed down at the tracks they had been following. Everywhere on the polished floors the ground was heaped with dust and dirt except for one track. Almost as if a river had poured through here they could see the traces of people, or creatures, having passed here before. From the depth of the tracks, the passage looked quite recent, but there was no sign of anybody around. If anything it just looked quieter and more desolate than ever before, something that was beginning to make all of them very, very nervous.  
"So now where?" Cody peered down the hallways, looking a bit confused. "I think we've been everywhere."  
"We have been nearly everywhere." Sorcerymon was considering the doors ahead of them, huge paneled oak constructs that were large enough to admit any digimon they could think of. They had to admit that the doors were impressive. "The castle is built on defensible lines. The only areas left are either the grand hall here, or the stairs to the upper levels that go through the grand hall. If you want to go anywhere else in the castle, you'll have to go through there."  
"So now what?" Yolei sat down on a handy statue. "I don't want to walk into another trap."  
"Or stand around here forever." Armadillomon joined in.  
"Only one way to end this." Davis pointed. "We go in."  
  
"So is this it?" Tai asked, examining the strange structure.  
"It sure looks like it." Agumon confirmed, peering at it from a number of different directions. Joe had to admit that the dinosaur had a point. The huge doorway sat in the middle of a room, the doorframe made of solid white stone. In between, where a door should have stood there was only golden light, outlining rapidly shifting patterns of a hundred different places. From where they were they could not make out anything clearly through the door, but the surface shimmered like the ocean in full daylight.  
"So how do we operate it?" Sora wanted to know, peering at it curiously. It had no buttons, no controls, no visible means of altering its status.  
"Haven't a clue." Tentomon finally admitted, buzzing around the structure. Izzy said nothing, he had been focused almost entirely on his computer since the moment he had found this.  
"How are we doing on time?" Joe asked.  
"Not bad. At least not bad yet." Agumon replied. He still looked tired, but better. The digidestined had slept long that night, having spent most of their energies in the battles of the previous day. Fortunately Piximon, Leomon and the others had led a thorough reconaissance of the Pinnacle, and had dug through every concealed room they could find before finding this one. By the time the others, including a battered Tai and Matt, had managed to wake up, they had already found this room.  
But that had truly gotten them nowhere. No digimon appeared to have the faintest idea what they were supposed to do now. There appeared to have been legends about the gate, but none that told them how to operate it. Izzy had already admitted that he was at a bit of a loss when confronted with this one, and now the rest of the digidestined sat back, feeling a profound sense of uselessness when faced with this problem.  
Matt shrugged and sat down on a handy stool, jumping back up when something pricked him in the side. He pulled out the harmonica he had gotten on their first day and looked at it as if he expected it to bite him.   
"Play a song for us, for old time's sake." Gabumon suggested.  
"All right." Matt smiled at them and raised the harmonica to his lips.  
It had been years since he had last touched his old favorite instrument, but as soon as he set it to his lips his old skill returned. This time, for some reason, instead of playing the old blues tunes that he had been so fond of, he tried playing something else. It came out, not like a harmonica, or anything that he had ever heard. It sounded like he was blowing on an old horn, something out of a movie. And beneath his expert fingers the harmonica suddenly changed, become unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable.  
His eyes widened, but his lips did not cease to blow. Where a moment before he had held a harmonica it now looked like a trumpet, an old one, from ages before, before they had heard of electric guitars and rock music, from an age when blowing a trumpet had meant calling people to battle. The instrument was not curved, but was rather long, full necked and large belled. The sound it emitted was not sweet or soothing, not even the squealing of a jazz trumped in the wrong hands. It was sharp and clear, a sound to bring out valiance in all who heard it, a challenge to a contest of arms. The room rang with the echoes, and still the blast continued, rising ever higher and higher into the sky until it seemed like the Pinnacle itself might fall under the rumbling.  
In the doorway the golden light that had obscured the myriad destinations they might have seen changed. Like someone had dropped a ripple in the pond, as if they had suddenly peeled back the layer of mystery the view changed. Now the images that had been shifting almost too fast to interpret slowed down. Behind them they could see a room taking shape, a room that looked like it was in an old palace somewhere. Crimson carpets and ivory floors shone with an inner light and, as Matt finally ran out of breath and put the horn down, the image stayed, waving there in the doorway.  
"Well," Izzy looked astonished. "I suppose that's that."  
"Let's go before it closes." Agumon suggested.  
"Are you guys up to it?" Tai asked everyone.  
"C'mon Tai. Let's go." Joe pointed. "We may not have a lot of time."  
"Good luck you guys." Piximon called as they prepared to enter the portal. "You are truly the digidestined, perhaps the greatest heroes this world will ever know. Even you have yet to plumb the true depth of your powers, the true strength you bear within. United there's nothing you can't do."  
"Go get 'em guys." Leomon rumbled. Ogremon just grinned at them.  
Sora squeezed Biyomon's wing reassuringly. Tentomon and Izzy gazed at the doorway in rapt fascination. Gomamon jumped up on Joe's shoulders. Mimi and Palmon grinned at each other. Tai and Matt just looked at each other and shrugged while Gabumon and Agumon grinned at their expressions. Then, together, they started to walk forward.  
"Let's do this all at once." Matt suggested, and impishly broke into a run, with Tai coming right behind him.  
Running all out, the six children and the six digimon hit the doorway and disappeared into another world.  
  
"Now this is impressive." Yolei noticed, looking around. "I haven't ever seen anything like this."  
The Grand Hall reached above them, curving upward almost out of sight in the glare of the thousands of globes that emitted a bright, nearly painful golden light all over the hall. The supports, vast arches, seemed to be carved from white marble, while the floors were a polished, smooth gray stone that almost sparkled with the reflections from above. Everywhere there was gold and silver inlay, decorating wherever some previous ruler had thought was necessary. To the side they could see small rooms leading off from the great hall, some decorated with even more bewildering collections of gold and silver. Staring at the reflections and refractions from the golden light was like looking at a rainbow from up close, and the size dwarfed them.  
"Well, we're inside." Armadillomon breathed out in relief.  
Everyone else was too busy being awed at the size and the decorations.  
"I'd forgotten how big this was." Sorcerymon whispered.  
"At least we're safe here." Davis joined in after gaping some more at a particularly impressive statue some meters away.  
SLAM!  
The massive doors they just passed through slammed shut with a noise that made them all jump, their hearts pounding up into their throats. From the inside they could see that the door was lined with steel and iron, and all over massive intricate locks were slamming shut, isolating them off from the outside world. Even more deadbolts began to click. Doors they had not noticed, to the small rooms leading off the Grand Hall shut quickly and efficiently, with every crash trapping them even further in the echoing cavern.  
The lights went out all of a sudden, but there was only a moment of consternation before screens popped up, almost like TV screens except for the fact that they were hovering in midair, with no actual screens behind the images themselves. In each of them the mobile blackness they associated with Khartan peered out at them.  
"Ah, the digidestined. I had hoped that you would arrive sooner or later. In fact I counted on it. I think you'll find yourself trapped in here for quite a while. Just a note before you try to blast your way out, the place is trapped. Any attempt to blow through the walls releases a cloud of poison gas into this room.  
"I suppose you want to know why nobody is here to welcome you. Well, the answer is simple. We've been all called away on urgent business. Business that you might think to concern yourself with after all. You see, we've gone to visit your world. I hear that it's a delightful place, and I'm starting to think of retirement. I don't think it would be a bad place to conquer, do you?" Suddenly all of the digidestined felt a chill fall over them as they realized what he was actually implying.  
"After all, one can't think to far in the future, can they? It will be fun conquering your little world. I think I might even name something after you once you're safely dead. But if you start to feel bored, don't worry. I left my friends Ravisher and Sickle in the castle. They'll come play with you if you want."  
There was a snap as Khartan's image vanished, and the lights went back on, revealing six humans who had turned noticeably more pale. Each of them were suddenly presented with sudden terrible visions, huge digimon rampaging through the streets of Earth, tearing the world apart with their anger, shattering tall buildings with their monstrous appendages, rending cities into dust with their fury. And there they were, the only ones who could stop the disaster, who even knew about it, trapped so far away from home that they might as well not be able to exist.  
"What do we do? What do we do!" Yolei nearly tore her hair out in frustration.  
"Wait!" TK threw up a hand. "Courage told us that time was different again. This means that, even if Khartan left earlier this week or something only seconds have passed in the real world. He has no way of carrying out his threats yet. We just have to find the gate. We need to get out of here."  
"I second that." Ken checked out the room. "I think that even if this place is trapped it might be possible to do something about it. The door looks strong, but what about the ceiling."  
"What about the ceiling?" Yolei looked up, peering silently at the imposing structure.  
"Well, if it really is poison gas, can we fly our way out through the ceiling?"  
"Maybe," TK rubbed his chin. "Then again, maybe not. You guys up to it?"  
"Sure!" Veemon glanced up. "I guess we'll do the honors here."  
"Veemondigivolves toExVeemon!"  
"Wormmondigivolves toStingmon!"  
"ExVeemonDNA Digivolve toPaildramon!"  
"Paildramonmega digivolves toImperialDramon!"  
The massive digimon glanced upward. "Everybody aboard." He called, and, as the others scrambled up top, began to rise toward the ceiling in a column of glowing blue light.  
  
"This place sure is empty. Maybe it's abandoned." Sora suggested.  
"Maybe we came to the wrong place." Joe sounded pessimistic again.  
"No, definitely not." Surprisingly it was Agumon who said this, looking as he was down a stairwell that descended, ill-lit, down to unknown depths.   
"How can you tell?" Tai was quick to ask.  
"Well, I smell things. Like right now, I can tell that there are humans somewhere down there, and there were digimon. Two of them smell like Patamon and Gatomon, and Veemon's scent is definitely down there, but the others are mixed up."  
"Down where?" Tai demanded.  
"Well, that's definitely them." Izzy confirmed.  
"I don't know Tai. It's like the smells were cut off somehow. Not killed or anything, but like they went in a room and closed the door."  
Suddenly the whole building rocked in a tremendous explosion. Dust and plaster bounced off of the walls, the ceiling looked like it was about to fall in on itself, and all hell started to break loose.  
"What's going on?" Mimi yelled as she held onto a pillar and Joe at the same time.  
"I don't know!" Sora yelled back.  
"Agumon!"  
"Got it! Agumonwarp digivolves toWarGreymon!"  
"Wait up! Gabumonwarp digivolves toMetalGarurumon!"  
"Quickly, we've got to get down there!" Matt jumped on MetalGarurumon's back as Tai leapt into the arms of his own partner. "You guys take care of yourselves!"  
And then they were gone.  
  
The light had barely faded and ImperialDramon had barely stopped shaking from the recoil when he was shooting aloft, battering through the opening he had just forced in the ceiling. The beauty of the grand hall was suddenly obscured by massive clouds of poison gas, but whatever had armored the walls had not been applied to the ceiling, and the huge Mega managed to break through five levels of the palace without encountering a single person. That was when a huge blast of black energies caught him in the side, sending him sprawling, and everything got even more chaotic.  
  
"Which way did those two go?" Sora asked, looking around anxiously. "I can't see any sign of them anywhere."  
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Mimi replied. "They always cause havoc wherever they end up."  
Another explosion, low and almost subsonic began to shake the castle.  
"That's usually a good clue." Izzy pointed. "Charge!"  
  
"Things just keep getting better." TK dove straight over a boulder and landed painfully on one shoulder as the massive blade slammed down right behind him.  
"Well, we know why they call him Sickle." Silphymon backed up almost immediately, trying to stay out of the way of the pair of blades that the darkly armored figure wore instead of hands. Angemon showed no hesitation.  
"Hand of Fate!"  
"Deathscythe!" The two shots clashed together in midair. Angemon was thrown backwards against a wall. It collapsed on him, painfully.  
"Angemon, get clear!" Angewomon circled her new opponent at a safer distance, trying to keep her distance. "Somebody see to ImperialDramon!"  
"We're all over it." Cody and Ken leapt to the aid of their fallen companion, who had been tipped over by the first shot. He was lying half buried in the rubble of the castle wall they had ended up crashing through, eyes shut tight in agony, a deep cut on his side. Davis was already at his side, frantically trying to move rubble off of the huge digimon, freeing room to move.  
"C'mon ImperialDramon." He seemed to be near to tears. "You've got to get up again."   
"You're the only one who can do it." Ken yelled.  
"Angemon, go for it!" TK was yelling in the background.  
"Angemondigivolves toMagnaAngemon!"  
"Everybody, help out!"  
"Kachina Bombs!"  
"Static Force!"  
"Celestial Arrow!"  
"Excalibur!"  
The blasts of liquid fire turned the air white, but they only threw Sickle back a bit, lacking the power needed to truly defeat the monstrosity bearing down on them. Twin blades flashed in the air, cracking like whips instead of sword blades, but they missed the rapidly fleeing digimon.  
"Not so fast!" MagnaAngemon was back in the fight, sword spinning through the air, sending lightnings crackling down the blade. A dozen strokes almost painted on the surface of the sky itself, vast rents opening through the air, sparking fire behind. Each blow seemed to be driving Sickle back, but it was easy to see that the powerful opponent simply was not backing down.  
There was a moment in which the battle held in the balance and then, unexpectedly Sickle gestured and the world rocked beneath them. A sudden storm roared through the corridor and MagnaAngemon, wings spread, was thrown violently backward, each gust knocking him further off balance. He tumbled helplessly, head over heels as the winds blew him backwards, tossing and turning with an expression of near-panic on his face.  
"Look out!" Yolei screamed, but there was nothing to do, and Sickle was already leaping forward. As he got close he seemed to blur, and then the already battered castle erupted in another shower of dust and masonry. Everything became obscured in a cloud of suspended particles, and those on the ground held their breath in hope.  
The dust faded as a wind blew it through the ruined walls of the castle, wind that flapped clothes of ivory and crimson. There, his cape still blowing around him, but otherwise fixed, like a statue of white marble, eyes gleaming with a burning light, stood Omnimon, both massive hands out in front of him. On his shoulders Tai and Matt stood perched, looking forward like hunting hawks preparing to strike, awaiting Sickle's next move. Sickle himself had stopped in the presence of the massive warrior, regarding his new foe with interest, and the slightest hint of dismay. Around them the dust scattered in waves, as if trying to find a way to escape the field of battle.  
Tai and Matt jumped off of the shoulders of their mount, running forward, arms stretched out wide, even as Omnimon remained carefully immobile.   
On the other side two ran to meet them. TK and Kari swept up to their brothers, throwing arms around them, yelling and shouting and cheering like they never had before. All the others felt themselves relax. They had been so used to being a team that they had never realized how much they missed their other half.  
Now it looked like they were being reunited after all this time. Warriors joined back together, soldiers merging with their own ranks, friends returning home. Prospects went from being dim to being unstoppable. Hopes brightened and flared. Even as greetings were yelled, as Omnimon stood there like some great immobile statue, the focus of everyone's hopes, everything changed.  
The digidestined were back.   
  
"Your presence here can no longer be tolerated." Omnimon rumbled, and the great sword blasted free of WarGreymon's jaw once more, rising vertically until it was ready for battle once more. "Prepare to be returned to the darkness that made you."  
"Perhaps it is you who will be leaving." Sickle returned, double blades moving to block his powerful adversary. Neither moved for a moment.  
"So how have you guys been?" Tai asked TK out of the corner of his mouth as they watched the battle proceed.  
"Same old, same old. You know how it is, save the world, find dinner, run away from huge monsters...the usual."  
"That bad, eh?" Matt asked lightly, and then flushed. "I'm sorry I wasn't here TK."  
"That's okay. You guys tried your best probably. That's all that we can ask." TK tried to get another foot away from the battleground.  
"It's not okay, blast it!" Matt responded heatedly.  
"Uh...so where are the others?" Yolei asked.  
"They were right behind us, but I guess they must have gotten delayed. It looks like there've been some changes for both of us, eh?"  
"Sure looks like it." Kari smiled. "But it looks like everything changed for the better."  
"Touch of Death!" Sickle's blades glowed with unholy green flame for an instant while he whirled closer.  
"Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon rose to meet him, blade flashing brilliant white, illuminating the corridor. The clash of steel on steel filled the entire room as digimon met evil force in a shower of sparks. Stroke after stroke was countered evenly, but it looked like Sickle was doing all the swinging. Omnimon was simply countering blows, Sickle's double blades giving him a pronounced advantage over his opponent. The massive sword countered one stroke, sending it awry, but another one would already be coming in and Omnimon would shift to meet it. Slowly, slowly, the white knight was being forced back.  
Clash after clash, careful footstep after careful footstep, blow after blow, Omnimon was leaning closer and closer to the children he was trying to protect. With each moment he loomed, the immensity of his struggle reflecting itself more and more on those watching him.  
"We can't just stand here!" Davis yelled, snapping his goggles back on.  
"Well, what do you suggest?" Yolei snapped at him.  
"I have an idea." Ken and Davis exchanged looks, and then both of them turned to their fallen mega digimon. "ImperialDramon, it's all up to you."  
"Rrrrrr...." The hump moved, and this time it rose, plaster falling to the ground as the huge digimon managed to leverage himself around. His eyes were glowing scarlet.  
"That's it. This is one team that's never going down." Davis cheered.  
"Rrrrrr...." With each step the huge digimon seemed to grow larger, to rise higher in the sky, towering above the landscape. His jaws glinted, and his eyes burned as he watched the clash of blades ahead, and then, he began to glow white.  
"ImperialDramon...mode change to...Fighter Mode!" Legs and arms snapped into place, armor descended to fit snuggly around torso and legs. A skeleton that was more like a steel wardrobe solidified around the towering figure. ImperialDramon FighterMode stretched, as if removing the feel of disuse from his limbs, and then turned to face his foe.  
"We have to finish him." ImperialDramon rumbled, his voice deep and gruff, as deep as it had ever been before. Light glowed off his armor and from his eyes. "The children could be hurt by an extended struggle."  
"I agree with you." Omnimon shifted his weight subtly and Sickle fell back, cautiously appraising this new threat. "But I would welcome any assistance that you would care to offer. I seem to be in need of it."  
"I would be glad to offer assistance. At once?"  
"Of course." Both fighters twisted to be facing Sickle square on. He began to look nervous about something.  
ImperialDramon raised both hands, and let motes of light congregate between them, shaping themselves into a construct of steel and fire. Two massive hands closed on the handles of the huge cannon, griping it tightly between them, blue-white light gathering in the maw of the giant weapon. Omnimon raised his right arm and MetalGarurumon's jaws snapped open, revealing the cannon hidden within, already glowing white-hot with power that nobody could have born to look at.  
"Supreme Cannon!" A bolt of light blasted free like a miniature sun, blazing away at the enemy standing in front of them.  
"Positron Laser!" Swirls of flourescent color gathered in the muzzle of ImperialDramon's great weapon, forming a solid white core, and from it a torrent of energy exploded forward, burning like a great sword.  
The two blasts met as one, in the middle of the room, and fire blazed like the dawn, sending each of the digidestined down to the ground to avoid the backblast of the explosion. Digimon were thrown helter skelter by the explosion, falling like rain. But, when the dust cleared and the fireworks faded into the memory of echoes, there was nothing left of Sickle but a black shadow on the floor.  
"We did it!" Tai yelled. At the same moment the forms of ImperialDramon and Omnimon were surrounded by a bright light, and then Koromon, Tsunumon, Veemon and Wormmon bounced to the ground. They rushed into the arms of their companions.  
  
"Mjolnir is standing ready. Operations are planned to commence tomorrow." Justice looked up from the latest report on his datapad to where Gennai and Courage stood solemnly examining him. "I hope you understand the wrestling with my conscience that is going on even now."  
"Indeed." Gennai leaned back and stared at the sky. "We've cut loose all of Fourth and Fifth Wing for this operation. We won't have that luxury again. But if it works we can buy the time we need for this plan to work."  
"At least we're not flying by the seat of our pants. I hate doing that." Justice muttered, looking out a window at the landscape floating around them. "You realize that what we're going to do will probably go down in history as the bloodiest battle ever."  
"Indeed I do." Gennai pointed at the crewmen moving around in the operations pit below them. "But hopefully most of the blood shed will not be ours."  
"Right. Back to business. Courage, I want you to run through operations with Fifth Wing's reintegrated carrier arm again. I really want those fighters..."  
  
Babamon stroked the ground at her feet with her staff and the patterns of destiny emerged for a split second before being reabsorbed by the flow of time.  
  
The ceiling in front of the digidestined fell apart with a crash, and something else, a dark twisting shadow, wrapped in a billowing black cape, dropped onto the ground. The only light from it was reflected from the armor that gleamed darkly around its midsection.  
"Uh-oh. Khartan did say something about leaving two of these guys." TK mused, a bit belatedly. He looked around for a quick way out.  
"You guys up to another digivolution?" Tai asked, but the exhausted digimon simply shook their heads and sighed. Tai rolled his eyes at his luck and tried to come up with a plan.  
"Horn Buster!" The entire wall blew apart all at once, explosions tossing stonework around like children's toys. A bolt of yellow energy removed a large portion of the wall, sending the new figure flying backwards under the force of the blow. The entire corridor, not that there was much left, erupted in debris one more time. MegaKabuterimon zoomed in with Garudamon right behind him, the empty sky looming behind them.  
"Everybody up!" Izzy yelled at them from his digimon's back. "I think it's time to go. We've got company out here."  
"And in here!" Tai yelled as he and Matt jumped onto MegaKabuterimon's back.  
"Don't forget us!" Yolei and Ken were right behind him.  
"Good to see you again." Izzy nodded at them. "We got everybody?"  
"Sure do." Armadillomon settled down on the back of the giant red beetle as the shadow warrior staggered to his feet once more.  
"Time to jet." Izzy flattened himself against the back of his companion as the beetle shot up once more, blasting its way toward the heavens.  
Tai took one look back as they took off at the dark figure of the one called Ravisher, standing there calmly watching them. Both sides knew that they would soon be back.  
  
"I thought you might come here." Babamon remarked, calmly looking up from the rock she had been sitting on as the giant bird and beetle dropped out of the sky almost on top of her.  
"Who's this?" Matt asked. The ride had been relatively short and noisy, and besides counting to make sure that nobody had been lost along the way, not much in the way of a reunion had been accomplished.  
"Babamon. She's a friend of ours." TK stepped forward and bowed to the ancient digimon, who inclined her head in recognition. He was a little puzzled about how she had managed to figure out where they were headed, but he had caught sight of her house from affar and had managed to guide MegaKabuterimon down in an open clearing.   
"Greetings Takeru. I had wondered when you might arrive however." Babamon smiled at them, and even as she did the world around them seemed to shimmer, like they were standing in the heat of summer and not in a chilly mountain valley. "I have laid protections over this place, protections such that nobody will every be able to find you if I do not wish it. For now. I suspect you will not stay here for long."  
"You've got that right." Tai muttered.  
"Ah, and you would be the elder Kamiya, no?" Babamon looked him up and down. "You have the look of your sister perhaps, but you are not much else alike, eh? But I expect you are tired of hearing your parents say much the same thing. Come, come..." And just like that her familiar house appeared out of the underbrush, acting innocently like it had been there all along.  
"Nice house." Joe commented as they went inside, trying to ignore the strangeness of it all.  
"Now, I believe I shall busy myself outside." Babamon smiled at them again, a kind but disconcertingly knowing smile. "I believe that you have some catching up to do, no?"  
  
They talked for hours. And then for hours more, and then until it felt like they would exhaust themselves simply through talking.  
They were a good audience too. They laughed at the humorous moments in others' tales, but they grew silent as the stories of their different trials and horrors came to life. Sometimes they gasped, and sometimes they seemed like they were going to cry. Stories filled the old house, stories of bravery in the face of almost unimaginable danger, stories of desperation, of horror, and of success and indomitable will.   
When the older kids told of their reunion with old friends TK and Kari's eyes filled with tears, long unshed. When they talked of the assault on Datamon's fortress, on the midair battle to free Piximon the younger set ducked and dodged in symphony, almost as if they were going through the battle themselves. And then, when Tai and Izzy described the final battle between Omnimon and Daemon they were frozen, completely entrapped in the story, hardly able to move.  
In their turn, the older kids were petrified at the dangers their younger companions had run through. The description of Khartan and his plans nearly made Mimi scream, and the series of battles throughout Parsifal made them tremble. Everyone shivered when Kari described, in perfect detail, the spooky nature of the deserted city.  
But everyone was shocked and astonished, nearly beyond belief, when he described his ascendence and his catastrophic battle with Reaver. They stared, astonished, part horrified, part filled with respect beyond imagination as TK described, step by step, blow by blow, the battle he had controlled and waged with the tremendous darkness. Even when he said that he had lost control over those powers they were still wide-eyed, as if waiting for him to perform some magic to impress them.  
They were also impressed by Ken's revelations considering the battle against MachineDramon, and his speculations on the nature of the Digital World, or Digital Worlds. Quickly he and Izzy had stuck their heads together and were eagerly exploring all the possibilities of their theories. Their conversation exceeded the capacity of everyone in the group except for Yolei, but even her eyes were starting to blur as they shot off at rapid speed.  
Tai was beginning to chew his lip at the thought of Khartan and the others loose in the real world. Fortunately Gennai's assurance, or the assurance of his associates, that time was passing differently again calmed him somewhat. He just hoped that Khartan would be unable to do anything before they could stop him. TK was unconsciously mirroring his thought pattern.  
It was Sora who, of course, spotted the change that they had all been trying to either hide or expose. Quickly, and shrewdly, surveying the newer digidestined her eye came to rest on TK and then Kari in quick succession, something that both digidestined noticed almost immediately. Her eyes flicked back and forth, and she smiled lightly as TK nodded back every so slightly.  
Unfortunately Tai caught the movement and his suspicious gaze centered on TK and Sora, one eyebrow reaching high. "What are you guys going on about?"  
"Nothing." TK was quick to say, but a quick glance at Tai's increasingly thunderous expression persuaded all of them that nothing was going to stay hidden for long. "All right, there is something..."  
"Tai." Kari interrupted him, shooting visual daggers at her brother. "TK and I are...involved...that is we've decided to..." She floundered for a moment, but was saved from the embaressment of losing her confidence by the others.  
"Congratulations!" Sora reached out and gave both of them a quick hug, something she rarely did. Mimi jumped up and down excitedly. Joe stood and, unconsciously mirroring Cody, shook both of their hands very formally, bowing to each of them, but he was smiling as well. Izzy gave them both a grin.  
Matt slapped TK on the back, nearly causing his brother to lose his balance.  
Tai stared. For a moment it looked like he was going to be angry, but the others quickly realized that what was actually happening was that he was trying to be angry. After a minute or so he abandoned this attempt as futile, rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly.  
"All right Kari. It's your life..."  
"Are you saying that something's wrong with my brother?" Matt yelled.  
"No, I just meant that..."  
As they started fighting TK and Kari shared a knowing look. It was good to be back together again.  
  
Questions, comments or protests? Review it!  



	12. Reunion

Disclaimer:I don't own Digimon.  Nor do I claim to.

Author's Note:  Well this took me freakin' forever.  Unfortunately, it's not even close to my standards, but every time I rewrite it, I don't get any closer.  I'm sorry it takes me so long to do this stuff, but so it goes.  I'll try to be faster.  I've had some pretty heavy writer's block.  On the other hand I finally got a copy of Digimon Movie 4, which has some pretty awesome scenes.  I'll try to incorporate some of that stuff in the future.

Important Note:  This story arc is drawing to a close, which means that it's about time to change to a new title.  After the next episode, the story will be continued under the title of 

            Acts of War: Holding the Line

Which should hopefully wrap everything up.

Thanks for bearing with me!

# Episode XXV

Reunion

            "You're up early." Tai stood next to TK, both of them watching the sun rise above a distant mountain range.  Before them a lake they had discovered shimmered in the rays of the rising sun.

            "Something on your mind Tai?" The younger digidestined had removed his hat, but he still looked like plain old TK.

           "Yeah, I just want to say, even though it's hard, that I hope you and my sister have a wonderful life, or time, or whatever.  I know it sometimes takes a lot to make me realize that I'm wrong about some things, and this is no exception.  But I think I understand that Kari's grown up now.  She's a year ahead of where she should be because of all this digi-world time stuff, and now she's a lot ahead of where she should be mentally.  I mean she's ready to make her own choices, and I respect that.  Besides, I think that you're a great choice myself."

            "Thanks Tai." TK smiled.  "You don't know how much it means to me to have your support for this."

            "You better watch out though.  I'm not going to make this too easy on you.  I still have a reputation to maintain." Tai joked, ruffling TK's hair.

            "So, is there anything about Kari I should know?" TK asked, throwing a rock in the lake and smiling at the reflections of the sun.

            "Like what?" Tai replied, sitting down next to him.

            "What she likes, where she likes to eat...stuff like that."

            "Oh, I see.  Well, get comfortable, this will take a while."

            "So how's it been with you?" Joe was busy washing dishes from last night, both of his arms elbow deep in soap, but he was still looking like he was having a pleasant time.

            "I don't know.  I suppose I'm still getting used to this, the seriousness of this and all that.  It just seems too big for me, for all of us." Cody polished a plate with his towel and looked at it dubiously, as if it would grow dirt once he turned his back.

            "Well that's what life is like." Joe responded.  "Are you ready for what's coming?"

            "Yeah, even though I'm scared.  After all, we have to fight for our home next."

            "Well, we've done that before.  Cheer up, we'll get him.  After all, he ran from us already, didn't he?"

            "Well, he ran in the wrong direction." Cody complained.

            "Ah, that's nothing.  We'll get in gear and take him...won't we Gomamon?" Joe turned to his partner who was watching them with interest.

            "It sounds good to me."

            "Ahhh..." Matt yawned and woke up, blinking from the long sleep, and surveyed his bedroom with sleepy interest.  The only people in the boy's room was Davis, still snoring on the bed, Veemon right beside him, both completely oblivious to the world.  Matt grinned, considered doing something horrible, and then stood up and left the room heading for the bathroom.

            After a quick immersion in hot water, wearing cleaner clothes and feeling much better the teenage rock star made it into the living room where Izzy and Ken were talking to each other in low, excited voices, clearly carrying on the conversation they had been having yesterday.  The two of them were making excited gestures in the air, but their eyes were truly glued to Izzy's computer screen.  Matt smiled at that too before making his way into the kitchen, where Joe and Cody, having just finished dishes from last night's dinner, were starting on breakfast.

            Matt got out the frying pan and leaned over to help them just as Sora and Kari entered the kitchen from the other direction, both laughing at something.

            "So what's for breakfast?" Sora looked over at Matt with appealing eyes.

            "Whatever you help fix." Matt laughed, miming throwing an egg at her.  Sora stuck out her tongue at him and moved over next to Joe to help slice the loaf of bread that he had found in the refrigerator.  Kari smiled at both of them, and then giggled as Joe, so startled at Sora's appearance through his intense concentration on the bread, almost managed to take off his own fingers.

            His yelp of surprise was still echoing as Tai and TK walked in from outside, looking hungry.  "So what's cooking?" they both asked as one.

            Everyone else groaned.  Sora pretended to whack Tai over the head with the loaf of bread, while Kari gave TK a glare that turned into a rather goofy grin.  

            "What?" Tai asked.

            "Out!" Matt pointed.  "Out of my kitchen!"

            Laughing out loud, and yelling too, all those who were not helping to cook quickly walked out of the building.

            "Breakfast!" Matt called, thumping the side of the doorway.

            Mimi and Yolei, both still rubbing sleep out of their eyes, tumbled into the dining room.  Davis, sopping wet, had required a more dramatic means to wake him up, and now, after chasing Ken through half the house, was digging in with an appetite.  The others were already eating and drinking, enjoying Matt's cooking, and their own company.

            "It's good to be back together." Yolei remarked.  "Please pass the bread Sora.."

            "Of course."

            "The eggs please..."

            "Could I have another helping of those fried mushrooms..."

            "Of course..."

            "You're fat enough already..."

            "I AM NOT!"

            "Could you break it up and pass the toast back?"

            The conversation at breakfast was like so many of their old meetings, meetings they had been part of what seemed like years ago.  They were friends once again, as always, talking to each other as if they were still in Odaiba or walking through the streets of Tokyo, carefree and happy.  Weeks of disaster, death and destruction fell away as easily as the dirt they had cleaned off.  Dismay and despair were erased with the flick of fingers, with the casual conversation that flooded their beings.  The digidestined were back in action once again.

            "So now that you have reunited, I suppose that this is the time for talk of action." Babamon reappeared briefly, upsetting Joe, who had been drinking a quiet cup of tea and seemed quite startled to have the wizened old digimon appear right next to him.

            "Any advice?" Ken asked her.

            "I have some." The door opened, seemingly of its own accord, and then, floating through the air a young image of Gennai came through, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

            "Gennai!" They yelled.

            "I have some news, good and bad.  What do you want?"

            "The bad first, let's get it over with." Tai decided with his old decisiveness, and everyone nodded.

            "All right...here it goes.  When Tai and his group came through they upset the balance of the gate.  As a result Khartan was able to lock it behind him.  As it stands, you actually can't use it."

            "So how do we get back home?" Davis jerked up, eyes wide.

            "I'm getting to that." Gennai sounded annoyed.  "There will be a time tomorrow when the gate will be available to transfer through."

            "When?" Izzy asked.

            "I don't know." Gennai responded carefully.

            Everybody groaned in unison.  Gomamon rolled his eyes.

            "I don't know because it will start as soon as Justice finishes his preliminary bombardment, and that depends on how long intelligence tells him that he should go on.  That means that I can only say that it should happen sometime early tomorrow afternoon."

            "How will we know?" Biyomon asked.

            "Simple.  The Gate will release a great burst of heat and light, and illuminate the entire castle, filling every corner, every nook with light.  At least, we hope that's all it will do.  You only have a few minutes to go through the gate after that, but that should blow open any protections on it."

            "How are you bombarding things?" Babamon asked from behind, causing Joe to start again.

            "You haven't heard then?" Gennai's face grew even darker, even more tired and worn looking, and for a moment it looked more like the face of Gennai as an old man again.  His brows drew low over his face.  "It started over For-kalas.  The Darkness Crest must have been getting desparate to keep their holdings there.  They allowed for the use of strategic-level nuclear weapons."

            Babamon drew in a sharp breath.  The digidestined had no idea where this was, but their faces grew white as they understood the import.

            "Fortunately we had been expecting something of the sort.  We got all of them but one, but that one killed almost twenty thousand people on the flank, most of them refugees.  The council decided to respond as the treaty permits.  We hit back as hard as we could of course." Gennai's face was rapidly darkening toward black.  He seemed to be seething with internal anger.

            "Anti-matter." Babamon's voice was thinned and strained, as if she wanted not to hear the word coming out of her mouth.

            "Twenty warheads.  It's estimated that we got almost five million people in one mass strike.  And that counts for most of the twenty-third and nearly half the available Manhunter firepower, not to mention chunks of their other fleets."

            "But there were civilian casualties." Babamon pressed.

            "Oh yes." Gennai laughed grimly.  "The council doesn't sleep to well at night any more."

            "Things are as they must be." Babamon quoted.  "We are fools to change our destiny."

            "But we are fools to cease to fight it." Gennai returned.

            "So," Tai continued, trying to keep out of this discussion.  "we have to do this tomorrow.  In the afternoon you say."

            "Be ready." Gennai stared at them.  "I can't tell you more than that."

            "What about Khartan?" Kari asked, keeping her eye on their true enemy.

            "I don't know.  He's up to something on Earth, but I don't think that he's ready to launch an all-out war of conquest.  He's too wise to try something like that.  Nevertheless I fear that he is up to something quite large.  The only advice that I can give you and your companions on Earth is to be wary always, always ready for whatever is to come next."

            "Will there ever be peace?" Sora asked sadly.

            "Yes, yes, one day.  But I fear not for us." And Gennai stared at something that he could not see, smiling grimly.

            "I would be a fool to refuse Gennai's advice.  I suggest that you not make the same mistake." Babamon reclined against a chair.

            "So we go off now, and prepare to attack tomorrow." Tai pointed at images in the map Ken had manufactured for them.

            "Or get there tonight and wait." Izzy countered.

            "That sounds good." Tentomon remarked.  "Although I could be biased."

            "Either way, we need a plan, and I think this is our best shot." Tai looked around.  "We absolutely have to win this.  More than ever before is at stake.  The other digidestined are completely unprepared.  We're the only ones who can save the world again, and this time we're not getting any miracles.  So this is for real, right?"

            "Right." They all responded.

            "So here's the plan so far.  MegaKabuterimon is large enough to carry us to the castle itself, something that means that we can get there almost immediately.  We can use the same disguised access.  Sorcerymon, are there any other entries you're aware of that he might not know?"

            "No." Sorcerymon shook his head.

            "So we close on the bastard and take him apart.  We already know that the power of Omnimon and ImperialDramon is enough to take out something like that, and I think that together we're going to be near invincible." Tai looked around.  "That doesn't mean that we take chances though.  Ken?"

           Ken stepped up, flawlessly taking control of the group.  "We have orders this time, especially since this time is for keeps.  Once that moment of light happens, we have no choice.  The most important thing is that we get through that gate.  Without the gate, without one of us returning to Earth, there's no chance for the real world.  Someone has to warn them, or has to help organize them.  So, if we're engaged in battle once that light goes off everyone who can better head for the gate.  You have to leave anyone else behind." Ken's voice grew pained, his eyes wavered, but he managed to hold steady.  "I know how horrible it sounds, but we absolutely must get back to Earth.  Without that everything we do is meaningless.  Digidestined, heroes, I'm sorry, but the survival of the Earth is beyond all of us.  If some of us get trapped here..." his voice choked off for a moment before resuming.  "...well, the only thing you can do is get out of here.  With Khartan gone you can liberate this world.  I'm sure you'll find a way home soon, but we have to leave you.  I'm sorry."

            Everyone stayed silent.  There was nothing they could say.

            "Sir, our ammo carriers are here.  We have resupply for our last cruisers." The orderly stood there, strictly at attention, staring sightlessly at Justice's back.

            "Very good." Justice rumbled, in a voice that shook the floor.  "Carry on."

            The orderly left and Courage turned around again, tracing the lines of the corridor with laser-sharp eyes.  "Well, that's the last of it.  Once we have resupply the fleet will be awaiting your command."

            "How about our ground cover?" Justice asked, refusing to make eye contact.

            "Ready to go sir." 

            "Very good.  Send the fleet to level 2.  Inform Admiral Marhaks that this whole thing is about to come down on his shoulders."

            Courage nodded.  Admiral Marhaks commanded the forward bombardment weapons divisions that were standing by the gateway.  In a matter of minutes heavy warheads mounted on huge missiles would be firing their way through the twists and turns of interdimensional space, arriving at their target on another world, hopefully shattering the defenses of the inner ring.  Not that any of this would matter anyway.

            Justice let his vision stray away again, away from the reports and the huge mess of numbers that were keeping the war running.  Instead they centered on the huge mountainous peaks that loomed outside the upper deck, peaks that dominated the viewscreen he was staring at.  It was almost as if he was trying to bore a hole in the rock by staring at it for too long.

            A flight of Phoenixmon zoomed by, clearly heading for forward battle positions.  Justice smiled grimly and nodded, giving their battle-lust the final benediction.

            "Battle three to ready position." Courage snaps behind him.  Their was a chorus of recognition behind them as everyone else straps in and straps down.

            Fighters scream off their landing decks, some heading for certain death, some just for a few hours of terror.  Weapons masters run through a final, unnecessary check, all corrections already having been made.

            "Let's get this show on the road."

            Three people clustered together.  Izzy, Mimi and Ken stared deep into each others eyes.

            "One of us has to make it back." Izzy emphasized, smashing his hand against his open palm.  "It is essential.  As soon as you make it through the doorway, you have to initiate Phase One.  This is the big one, the one we've been waiting for.  Can we do it?"

            "Of course." Ken grinned at him.  "Phase One will be easy."

            "Who has real combat experience out there thought?" Izzy asked.

            "I know that Team Eagle has been busy.  They do a lot.  Probably the Australians and the Russians and the European Legion as well." Mimi mused to herself.

            "Well that gives us a starting point." Ken nodded.  "Those teams will form the nexus and fulcrum of our new defense."

            "The question is..." Izzy asked slowly.  "Will any of the others be able to help?"

            Nighttime came slowly.

            Tai had insisted that they sleep through the day to rest up for the night's endeavous.  He had even gotten to the point where he had offered to send Davis around with a stick and send everybody to bed the hard way.  This created all sorts of problems, grumbling and mumbling around the camp, hard looks directed in Tai's direction.  He ignored them all, and everyone felt glad.  It looked like the old self-confident Tai had taken command again, and they were all happy that he had.  Even Davis was looking a lot happier.

            After a fitful afternoon of sleep they had all managed to rise around nightfall.  In fact most of them had been drifting in and out of exhausted slumber throughout the afternoon, sometimes coming to talk to Tai, sometimes not.  Sometimes they had spoken to Babamon, whose wisdom gave them the answers to questions they had not known they had.  Sometimes they just sat quietly, watching the sun slowly pass through the sky.

            Babamon talked to them of their plans for the future, of the way in which they hoped to succeed.  She congratulated them on their heroic feats, and promised to look forward to their new ones.  She and Sorcerymon apparently remembered each other from some time long ago, because they talked for a long while.  But throughout it all she was looking at all of them like she would never see them again.  It was only when nightfall came, when the moon rose grudgingly over the horizon, that she stood up to talk to them.

            "I hope you understand how precious you are to this world, and how precious is the gift of Hope you have brought us." Babamon smiled at them.  "I know that you can succeed out there today, and I hope that you do.  I know that you carry the strength within to pass any trial, survive any test.  If all goes well we will not meet again on this world.  I hope that you succeed in your endeavor, I hope that you return to save your world, I am glad that you came, I am glad that you gave us what you did.  And since your success means that we will not meet again, I give you my farewells.  May fortune favor wherever you go digidestined." With that she gave them all a low bow.

            They bowed back, but were at a loss for words.  There was nothing except silence as they boarded MegaKabuterimon and took off into the night sky.  

            When they looked back finally both Babamon and her house were gone.

            They came silently, like wraiths, creeping through the tunnels under the castle.  Every time they heard a noise, they froze.  The terror pumping in their hearts kept them moving forward.  This was no longer about them, the weight of every other life on the face of the Earth seemed to be weighing heavily on them.

            Hiding under tables and chairs while a single digimon checked the corridors ahead, sneaking around through the corridors that normally only servants used, they passed straight through to the top of the castle.  Every moment they were alert, waiting for the sound that would tell them that they had been discovered, that the guards were on their way.

            This time their caution seemed to be justified.  It seemed that Khartan's boast about taking his army to the real world was hollow.  The place was filled with hostile digimon, each one stalking after their masters.  Patrols of Bakemon trailed through the palace at large while, through the scarce windows, they could watch other, more monstrous digimon take up positions outside, keeping a careful eye on the castle grounds.  Everywhere there were hordes of digimon, waiting for the digidestined to show up and make their move.

            Fortunately Sorcerymon was able to demonstrate his true worth.  He glided through the corridors like a ghost, avoiding every patrol that was running around on the ground floors.  It appeared that all those years of living in the fortress had given him extensive knowledge of the different ways through it, and he used every trick he still had left up his sleeve.

            "Now what?" Izzy would ask, scanning ahead with his laptop while Ken helped with his scanner.  Once they were certain that there were no enemy digimon around Sorcerymon would point and they would sneak through empty deserted hallways, always waiting for the tense moment when a patrol would come.  More than once they were caught in a narrow passage, holding their breath and waiting for their enemy to pass them by.  Once TK almost walked right into a Bakemon who, fortunately, was turned in the other direction.  Once a digimon saw Joe's profile through a door, but they managed to hide when the searchers came looking for something.  Once Davis got stuck in a hiding spot and it took five tense minutes to free him.  Once a collapsing piece of furniture almost got them caught, but they ran away just in time.

            They backtracked more than once, twisting and turning their way through collapsed rooms and hallways as the way Sorcerymon had at first indicated turned out to be trapped.  Eventually they reached the area around the Grand Hall.

            "So now what?" Yolei hissed.  "Through the hall?"

            "Not a good idea." Ken whispered back, pointing at his scanner.  "It seems that they're waiting for us."

            "Well, that's the only way up." Sorcerymon insisted.

            "Maybe not." Cody was looking up.  "Look."

            Up above them the ceiling was twisted and broken.  It appeared that their first battle inside the castle had caused some serious damage everywhere, and part of that damage was that the upper levels now had huge holes in their floors.  Right above them was a gap that was just the right size, twenty meters in the air.

            "So how do we get up there?" Matt asked.

            "We could fly." Patamon suggested.

            "No, we can't be carried up there, I don't think you guys are up to it yet." Tai mused.  "We need a rope."

            "Yeah Tai." Matt muttered sarcastically.  "Let's just sit here until you find us a rope."

            Sora felt a sudden tug in her pack.  It repeated itself, feeling almost as if she was trying to hold an eager puppy contained in it.  With a puzzled glance she pulled her pack off and opened it, revealing the stick, carved with intricate wooden flowers, that she had received on her first day here.  Suddenly, as she loosened her grip around it, it seemed to explode into action, growing until it reached the hole in the ceiling, like a fireman's pole.

            "Wow." Gabumon muttered.

            "That's convenient." Hawkmon elaborated.

            "So how do we climb that?" Joe wanted to know, tilting his head back.

            Sora shrugged and took hold of it.  Suddenly it felt as if she were upside down, and she began sliding rapidly towards the ceiling, and through the hole, just barely making it without scratching herself.  On the other side there was nothing except waste, destruction and darkness, the corridor apparently having been trashed by the struggle between Sickle and Omnimon.  She collapsed quickly to one side, overcome by the sudden adrenaline rush.

            "Sora, are you all right?" Biyomon was floating on the other side of the crack.

            Sora peered down at the others and gave them a thumbs-up sign.  Tai grinned and grabbed hold of the rod, clearly trying to climb it.  His mouth nearly fell open as he also seemed to be sliding in the wrong direction, with Agumon right behind him.  He popped out the top end and landed heavily on his feet and blinked a few times.

            "Whoa." He managed to say, before Matt popped through after him, eyes also wide.

            "I like this thing." Matt commented, a moment before an emerging Joe catapulted into him and knocked him to the ground.

            It took about five minutes for them to not only get all the way up but to convince the stick that it should shrink down again.  Sora felt like she was talking to a stubborn dog, but she eventually managed to stick the thing back in her pack.

            "So now where?" Izzy asked.

            "See anything?" TK inquired, peering around the darkness.

            "Not here." Izzy replied.

            "What time is it?" Ken looked around in the darkness.

            "About noon." Izzy replied looking at his computer.

            "Noon!" They hissed together, remembering only in the last moment that they had to keep from shouting.

            "How long did it take us to get through the castle?" TK muttered, clutching his head.

            "Too long." Ken returned grimly.  "We need to go."

            "Do you know where the gate is?" Sora asked Sorcerymon intently.

            "That way, I think." Sorcerymon pointed.  "But to tell you the truth, I really don't know."

            "Let's go!" Izzy snapped his laptop closed.

            It felt like they were running a race.  The images of loved ones kept popping up in their heads, driving them onwards as if they had whips planted in their souls to drive them onwards and upwards, through all the petty distractions surrounding them.  They scrambled over rubble, through fallen columns and statues, and up the shattered remains of staircases.

            Here and there they could see breath-taking views of mountains and forests below as they staggered past huge rents in the wall, but they paid no attention, desperately trying to run up the stairs to the top of the castle.  It was only when they got through the first levels that they really got in trouble.

            A patrol of Bakemon turned the corner in front of them.  Tai realized that they had gotten careless in their sudden rush, and now were completely out of options.

            "Attack!" he yelled, pointing, just as the Bakemon rounded the corner.

            Surprised, he watched as TK and Ken catapulted past him, TK striking out with his staff like it was a living extension of his arm.  Ken kicked and punched, giving their surprised digimon a second to get into the battle.  Then Agumon and Gabumon rushed past, opening fire, all hope of surprise lost, and Hawkmon and Biyomon soared by overheads, and then, to Tai's further surprise, Cody ran past, holding his unsheathed sword.

            "Well leader boy..." Matt murmured in Tai's ear after Cody had run past.  "What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?"

            Tai charged off after the now retreating Bakemon.  Within moments the white ghosts had been kicked, punched or generally pummeled into temporary oblivion.

            "You've picked up some tricks." Tai whispered to TK as they set out running again.

            "Tell me about it." TK responded.

            "Maybe later." Tai grinned at him.  He almost stepped on the Veggiemon who rounded the corner right then.  TK reacted instantly and thunked the creature on the head with his heavy staff.  Gatomon jumped by and took care of the rest of the patrol, her claws flashing with lightnings and fire.

            "C'mon." The feline whispered, gesturing with her paw.

            "Follow." Tai spoke the word, then raced on, running past barricades and rubble.  Every once in a while digimon would jump out and try to surprise them, but the digidestined were ready for them now.  It was a simple matter for Agumon and Gabumon, Ken and TK, Gatomon and Veemon to take care of their opponents.  Not that there weren't bad times.  Davis ended up accidentally slammed into a wall, Patamon was a bit dizzy from being batted around.  Gatomon had what would have qualified in a human as a black eye.  Ken had one too.  But they kept going, speeding recklessly into the heart of the castle.

            "We've got to get through." Izzy muttered as Tentomon blasted a Vilemon out of the sky a few meters away.  "We've got to do this faster."

            "We are doing this faster." Agumon barked back, and they were.  Running though the patrols was a lot faster than creeping, but Izzy kept nervously checking the time on his digivice, and Tai's face was contorted with the urgency of their mission.

            "Stop." Sorcerymon whispered suddenly, holding up a hand and peering through a broken down wall.

            On the other side of the wall, visible through a crack was a huge room.  It was packed full of digimon, bigger ones this time, Mekanorimon, huge lumbering metallic giants, Deltamon with their three massive heads, huge Champions and giant Ultimates.  A nameless blackness lurked in the back of the room.  Everywhere the forces of darkness had congregated, waiting it seemed, for them.  And there, standing against the back of the room, glowing with eldritch power and abilities stood a doorway, patterns shifting rapidly over its surface.

            The Gate.

            "Well that's just grand." Tai muttered.  "What do we do now?"


	13. Storming the Gates

Disclaimer: No I do not own Digimon: Digital Monsters  
  
Author's Note: This took forever, I know. It's the end to the second story arc, and is a bit weak because it marks the transition between two different states. It also marked the point where I tried to make my own characters bow out for a while, and leave the story in the hands of the DD. Especially since original characters will begin to appear in the next Episode.   
  
Anyway, just so you remember, this story will be continued in a sequel titled  
  
Acts of War: Holding the Line  
  
I hope you can keep bearing with me.  
  
  
  


Episode XXVI  
Storming the Gates  
  


I don't think we can get past them. Agumon muttered.  
Tai was forced to nod in agreement.  
They're just too many. Sora looked distressed. We need a plan.  
  
Stand by. Battle Three to active position.  
Point defense active.  
All ready squadrons to launch position. Primary escorts detach.  
Unit One to launch vector.  
Command here. Assigning vectors now.  
Weapons are free and live. Weapons are free and live.  
Justice stood back and watched the machinery of war go to work. Outside the world was lit by the flashes of fire and death as the bombardment machinery belonging to Fourth Wing's siege team went to work. Huge rockets, containing tiny amounts of anti-matter, were thrown through the jump point, hopefully saturating defenses on the other side, pounding them into rubble. From the other side other missiles came back, both sides firing blind. So far the potent point-defense systems of Fourth Wing had kept the missiles coming through from the other side from causing severe damage, but that probably would not last.  
On the screen there were flashes. A map of what were the last reported defenses of Cormere glinted, circles surrounding the areas currently being bombarded. Although it really did not matter as the success of this particular plan depended almost entirely on the Mjolnir weapon, the circles let the enemy know that he was coming in with a standard transit point assault.  
Bombardment three has been hit.  
Move them back. Justice pointed to a new position, and the crew nodded and went to work. He was immersed in memories of Cormere in more peaceful times, of the places around the transit point. The area had been covered with thick, lush pine forests before the Great War. Now it was covered with huge built-up defenses and warehouses for the volume of transited commerce that passed through there each year. It was an industrial site now, capable of refurbishing and rebuilding half the ships that came through there. Now, with the Light sitting here, it was more crowded than ever before. The various factions of the Dark had temporarily put aside their squabbles and assembled the troops they needed. The mountains would be covered with the shadows of hovering Dreadnaughts, Battleships and Supercarriers as the massive fleets of the Dark moved into support range of the vast network of fortifications covering the transit point. With the bombardment underway the grounds would be covered with soldiers, moving up to cover the transit point. Huge machines of war would be slowly moving out of their bunkers. And all the while the innocent, those caught helplessly in the path of war, seeing for themselves the terror that would descend upon them, would cower and offer up vain prayers for salvation.  
Justice took a deep breath. The fate of a world hovered on his tongue. For a moment he felt the weight crushing down on him, the weight of responsibility, and the weight of duty. Such is the price one pays.  
_May God Forgive Me For What I Do This Day_. An prayer, a request, a last gasp of sanity? It would be impossible to tell.  
Launch Mjolnir.  
  
So now what do we do? Tai asked quickly. Everyone looked completely clueless.  
Well, at least the signal hasn't come yet. Izzy murmured, looking carefully at his screen. I think we should at least be grateful for that.  
Couldn't Omnimon and ImperialDramon just clean them out? Yolei asked.  
No. They'll have their hands full with Ravisher. TK responded, looking grimmer and grimmer.  
And the whole world is hanging on this. Kari clutched TK's hand, seeking reassurance. She received little.  
We've got to do something. Davis stared at the constantly shifting formations of enemy inside the room.  
And then the question was made academic.  
  
Nothing larger than two kilometers can go through a transit point. This is a fact, but it should be edited to say that nothing larger than two kilometers can go through a transit point in one piece. You can, for instance, build a four kilometer long floating fortress and pilot it through a transit point, but the resulting shifting of the fields inside a transit point will result in two or more pieces, each smaller than two kilometers going in random directions at the other end. Since soldiers dislike having about four kilometers and a hundred meters per second separating them from, say, their right arm, this is generally not a good way to assault a transit point.  
Furthermore there is the possibility that a two segments going through a transit point at the same time, and being split, with a significant velocity, will intersect. It takes a precious second for something to materialize when it gets out of a transit point. Normally when you send a ship through the mechanics of a transit point displaces any matter in the area, creating a hole the size of the drive field to deposit the vessel in. However, in that second that it takes to materialize, if that ship and large amounts of matter intersect, the two materialize together.  
Presumably this flagrant violation of the laws of physics and reality is extremely unpleasant. The truth is that nobody has survived long enough to give us a detailed explanation of what happens.  
Behind the first line of Fourth Wing's ships an observer, accustomed to war in the Interconnected Worlds, would have noticed something odd. Almost a hundred capital ships, a huge amount of Fifth Wing's firepower, were being firmly anchored to the ground, drives pointed outward like giant cannons. Each ship was configured to unleash its drive field from a stationary position, not to push the ship forward, but to push something else back.  
And there, in front of them, stood Mjolnir. Once Mjolnir had been known as Kran Coriak, a small uninhabited island of about thirty kilometers that had sat out in the deserted northern seas of Hammerhold. It had taken Fifth Wing's heavy dreadnaughts, acting with their full power almost a month to cut it lose from the ocean floor it had been hanging onto. From there it had taken Citadel's engineers, added by the great powers of the Light, almost a week to install the necessary equipment. Shield generators, drive field engine boxes, power plants, the whole works. Now the island hovered three hundred meters above the ground, a tremendous piece of a mountain range plucked from the landscape below, carried into position.  
When they had named the project Mjolnir it had sounded like a bit of a joke. Now, with the multi-Megaton monolith hovering there, blotting out the sky, the joke was suddenly very, very real. People avoided looking at that monstrosity, avoided having anything to do with it. They scattered about now, pretending that they were expiencing a normalacy that no longer existed.   
The drive fields of Fifth Wing flared. Massive engines, designed to push ships two kilometers in length, blasted to their utmost power. The raw force, distorted through the laws of physics, struck Mjolnir like a hammer, accelerating it, first slowly, then faster and faster toward the transit area. The mountain began to crack, began to fracture under the impact of the blasts from behind. The engines of the anchored ships began to glow white with the strain, power leads began to overheat, but they kept the force up, pushing farther and farther, with more and more power. Chunks of rock bigger than most apartment buildings fell off the accelerating monolith, but it kept going, faster and faster, until those in the front could feel, if not hear, it shrieking toward the transit point at a speed beyond belief.  
The drive fields, the anti-friction layers, the massive force of Fifth Wing's ships all did their work. The massive mountain island known as Mjolnir struck the transit point at over a hundred times the speed of sound and disappeared into the fog of transit.  
  
Cormere stood tall in the face of the Light. Vast armories churned constantly, adding more depth, more static defenses to the ring surrounding the transit point. That was the key. One of the few worlds to have a true constrained transit point facing the Light, one of the few whose defenses could be breached only by the heaviest of assaults. The warships gathered around the transit point knew that they had the strength to crush anything that came through, to destroy anything that moved by. There was no assaulting that transit point without overwhelming force. The rules of war agreed on that. So they waited for an attack that must come, but one they could face.  
On the other side of the door somebody was rewriting the rules.  
Mjolnir fractured on transit. Two kilometer long blocks of stone blasted out of the other end of the transit point at incredible speed, all going in different directions. Conservation of momentum retained the block of matter's incredible speed, and the ships who were watching only had a moment to realize what they had seen.  
Most of the rock catapulted off in a thousand directions, bombarding far areas with sudden death and destruction. Huge boulders the size of football fields landed halfway across the planet, leaving gaping scars when they did. Death came in all sizes, all shapes. Only a tiny bit inter-materialized, emerged occupying the same space at the same time, reducing itself instantly to energy. Only a little bit.  
Most of the matter escaped. Over two hundred thousand tons did not.  
  
The gate shifted every so subtly. One moment it was filled with the swirling colors of interdimensional space. The next Izzy, who had been studying it intently, noticed a small fluctuation, and then a glowing speck of white.  
Interdimensional space writhed. Every digivice in the room flared to life instantly, surrounding the digidestined with a temporary shield. Every digimon in the room, attracted by the sudden flare of light, turned their way. Eyes glowed red, teeth were bared, claws slid from sheaths.  
The colors inside the gate heaved one more time. Then they went white.  
Digimon did not even have time to scream, to yell, to even recognize. The white light was unstoppable, unbeatable, swifter than death had a right to be. All those who saw its glare, however briefly, however suddenly, that one moment of glaring whiteness, died. Light, like giant, huge spears of fire, like a rain of death, like the veritable hammer of God itself, came through the door. Everything it touched disappeared, first the flesh stripped from its bones, then even bones melted and disintegrated by the touch of death. Power, not beautiful, but savage and untamable, vicious beyond anything the digidestined had ever met, something so unstoppable that it saw even the most powerful as mere playtoys, raced by them. For a moment the digidestined knew death and it knew them. Then it faded, and slowly, carefully, their shields went down, leaving them standing there, amid what was now a stone slate, wiped clean of all life, sterilized by the most dangerous, deadly thing they had ever seen.  
They were alone with death.   
Then Ravisher descended from the ceiling. He had survived, but seemed diminished somehow. He was angry though. That much was clear.  
And this time, unlike those other servents of the Dark, there was no contempt, no laughter. There was only a fierce burning hatred, something so dark and ugly that it seemed to drill right through them. And then Ravisher came for them.  
Agumon...warp digivolves to...WarGreymon!  
Gabumon...warp digivolves to...MetalGarurumon!  
Veemon...digivolve to...ExVeemon!  
Wormmon...digivolve to...Stingmon!  
ExVeemon...Stingmon...DNA Digivolve to...Paildramon!  
Paildramon...mega digivolve to...ImperialDramon!  
ImperialDramon...mode change to...Fighter Mode!  
WarGreymon...MetalGarurumon...Mega DNA Digivolve to...Omnimon!  
There were two thuds as the two warriors stepped down onto the ground, weapons already rising to do battle with their opponent.  
Black Spike! Times Two!  
Transcendent Sword!  
Positron Laser!  
Fire and light clashed, rebounded, exploded, sending shards all around the building, or what was left of it. None of the digidestined noticed. All of them were already running toward the Gate. Izzy had his laptop out and started hitting buttons. He bent all his concentration to the task at hand.  
Never before had he been this close to his computer. Now it felt like a part of him, a second body. He rapidly traced back the way that other gates had opened, following the information of the universe as it passed through electric lines, and beyond into the pulses and transformation of the worlds themselves. He could feel data change, flow, and he tried to match his skills to alter that of the Gate itself.   
It was like holding onto a slippery eel. The energy patterns seemed inclined to dart just out of reach, and, belatedly, Izzy realized why. Whatever Citadel had done to burst open the defenses surrounding the Gate had done more than that. All of interdimensional space was blasted through, curling up and screaming like a wounded beast, trying to escape what was happening to it. Izzy cursed and hurridely tried to force his computer to force the leads back into the right place, and failed again.  
What's wrong Izzy? Ken was at his shoulder, Scanner opened and buzzing, and Izzy could almost feel it, Ken's presence joining his own. Together the two geniuses peered through the chaos of space, trying to see the right path, the right combination to take them home.  
Now what? Tai asked, as they watched the two geniuses.  
I don't know. Sorcerymon looked behind them. There was a stalemate in the battle. Ravisher's anger and raw power matched by the concentrated efforts of the two Megas. As they watched Omnimon parried three blows with a sharp, edged weapon, while ImperialDramon circled, looking for a good shot at his opponent. For the moment the set of combatants seemed evenly matched. Ravisher was moving fast, drawing upon the death in the room, but his two opponents were well-disciplined and trained warriors, and refused to back down. They met each attack with their own, sending clashes of sparks fountaining up into the air.  
C'mon, you've got to hurry. Yolei pleaded at them.  
Izzy was barely aware of the words. He was barely aware of his fingers as they danced over the keys of his computer. He had heard of the term In the zone before, but this surpassed that by as far as it surpassed his normal mental state. In his mind electronic signals combined in an ever expanding network of signals and information. It was almost like he was dealing with raw information inside his brain instead of through the cultured and controlled interface of a computer.  
His crest began to glow.  
On the other side Ken was experiencing something else. A detachment from reality, a temporary leave of absence from the perils of his life. Inside of him a peculiar magic had begun to work, and it worked on the power from inside him, branching out through his fingers. He could feel the strands of human lives, almost like the strands of destiny and fate, weaving through his fingers. Slowly, carefully, he wove those pale lines back into the tapestry of time, and tried to trace their own threads back to their source, sending his questing fingers out to seek the home they all yearned for.  
So what do we do to help? Kari knelt beside them, somehow piercing the strange world they were immersed in.  
We need to find home before the Gate restabilizes. That means that what we actually have to do is work through all the chaos until we find something that looks like home, and then we open that Gate to there.  
So if we all find home with our light, it will guide us? Kari asked. Izzy looked up, his confusion breaking through his concentration. And then sudden comprehension dawned.  
Yes. Of course! That would work. Maybe the light from the digivices could guide us. Everybody! He turned to the others, who were watching confused. Hold up your digivices and think of home!  
Will that work? Mimi asked incredulously, but she was already fumbling for her device. Behind her the sounds of battle continued.  
I hope so! Ken responded, yanking his own device off of his belt.  
It will. TK's voice was high and confident.  
Tai held up his device and thought of home. His mind started thinking about his house, his home, that apartment building high in Japan, the view he could see out through the window. Then he floated through the streets of Odaiba and Tokyo beyond, drifting through the fields where he played soccer and watched others play baseball and softball, where he watched kids skateboard or ice skate in the winter, where he watched them rollerblade through the parks. He remembered summer evenings spent at the beach, waiting for the tide to come in, or to go out, or just waiting. He remembered late night soccer games with his friends, where they would play, covered with the smells of grass and dirt, splattered with mud, and sometimes with the water from the sprinklers under the harsh, glaring artificial light. He remembered times when they would go home and bunch up on someone's couch, hovering around the latest game that somebody had gotten, hitting buttons until their fingers grew numb. He remembered watching the sunset from the balcony.  
Matt's memories were filled with music. From the first time he had touched the keys of a harmonica, to the last time that he had played the strings of his latest guitar, the riffs and gentle wails of music formed the world to him. His version of home was filled with sound, intermixed with brilliant lights. Sometimes, in the dream he lived, he would walk along the streets, maybe in Shinjuku or Ginza, or the more popular night districts as evening fell across the sky and listen to the sounds of music coming out of the clubs. There, through the mass of people that stood, jostling each other inside, or filling the streets with their exuberant celebration, he let the sounds intermix and fill the universal melody, gently and savagely playing the tunes to which all living things danced. He remembered once, from far away the sounds of him playing a harmonica in the light of a sunny afternoon with Mom, and Dad, and his brother, when all was right in the world.  
Sora remembered home as feelings, tactile physical sensations. There were those her mother lived for, the feelings of the ground and the earth amidst the fingers, gently tantalizing the senses with its unknowability. Once she had thought her mother had joked when she told her daughter that she could literally recognize dozens of different plants through just touching them, running her hands over them. Now she could recognize the touch, the subtle difference between different types of stems that looked, from the outside, so similar. The soft feel of petals under her fingers, like the softest fabrics and the most gentle of silks, all of that combined to a new sensation. There were others there as well. The feel as her tennis racket smacked a ball out of the sky, the comforting thud as it made contact sending shivers up her arm. Then there was the different, but still comforting sensation of a soccer ball making contact with the kicking surfaces of her foot. The impact, the feel, the ability to describe her world by how it touched her, all of that blended into the image that was home.  
Joe was surrounded by the image of his late night study sessions. Late at night, when the world closed in on him, he would often pause to look out the window of his apartment room and wonder if there was ever anything more beautiful than what was stretching away from him toward the horizon. His eyes would come to rest on each individual pearl of light from the city, whether they be carelessly forgotten office lights in tall buildings that rose to support the sky, or whether they were actually house lights, where some father might be reading his children a bedtime story, or perhaps a family watching some late-night television show. He would sit there, sometimes for an hour, his coffee growing cold at his elbow, his only surrender to sloth, watching spellbound as the lights passed in the night, the high, clear, glowing lights of passing airplanes heading for the airport, the slowly moving bright lights of boats moving across the harbor at night. From his apartment he could catch a glimpse of the Tokyo Fish Market across the bay, a place that never slept. He could watch the fog roll in and play with the towers of the bridges across the bay, blanketing their lights in gray fog. He watched and waited.  
Yolei felt tossed and turned by the familiar sights of home. She did not think so much of her tiny apartment, cramped by her sisters, but rather of the store her family ran, of long hours spent packaging and recording information, helping their family get ahead in the world. In those hours she would sometimes sit and dream about what the packages meant, what the foods tasted like, and would let her attention wander. From the islands of the Mediterranean, where spices grew that ended up in packages sold in Japan, to the forests of South America, where they still harvested nuts and cocoa, to the huge coffee plantations of Columbia. Here and there the labels took her, across oceans and vast mountains, through regions far and exotic, where they brought pieces of plants and other things back to serve as ingredients in easily consumable foods. It was those mental journeys she found herself missing from home.  
Mimi's mind's eye was blinded by glitter, by the constant changing in lights and the flashy gaudiness of her surroundings. She wandered through the fashion outlets, the malls, the popular stores of Ginza, the flashing lights and the blinding colors of the displays nearly blinding her, filling the world with gems of colors. There she was pacing the Ameyoko Street shops, perusing the latest treasures, some coming in from the farthest corners of the world, some homemade favorites. For a few moments she was pacing the vast electronics markets of Akihabara, perhaps looking for something that would match her latest outfit. Then there was the maze of stores that filled Shibuya, filling her time, her space, her life. In each of them it was not bargains that attracted her, but the sheer volume of material, of new ideas and innovations that awaited her, that lay hidden, waiting to be found by searching eyes. She lost herself among them, searching for the one buried treasure that nobody else had found.  
Izzy was floating in a world of technology and science. His devices, both electronic and mechanical, floated by him like an ocean. He was in the video game trance, feeling input, not just through his senses, those mundane connections that were all most people had, but through his nerves into his very soul. He was at the center of an expanding web of information, and he was its undisputed master. It felt exhilirating, because there seemed to be nothing that he could not do. Any problem, any difficulty, he could overcome almost immediately. There was nothing that could stop him, perhaps not even something that could slow him down. His life was simple, there was him, shooting along like a star, and then there were things that tried to get in his way. He could overcome any problem, any obstacle, from safe in his own home. The love of his parents suffused this electronic utopia, and Izzy felt at peace.  
Davis was in motion. For him home had not been his house, or where he lived, or school, but wherever he was in action. It was him, it consumed him, it was what he needed to survive, the constant thrill of being able to change, being able to transform himself into a doer, not a follower. Sometimes he was on the soccer field, watching balls speed toward him and then redirecting them as he choose. There he was king, able to direct the motion of every iota of his being, controlling the fate of the ball, the game and the other players. As he moved, as action melded and shaped itself around him, as the world disappeared in a blur of motion, he became alive. The blood pumping through his veins invigorated him, restoring him to life, changing his world.  
Ken felt the whirl and dance as his world was also defined by movement. However, for him home was not in his movement, that was not what he was, where he lived, but rather in the movement of others. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do, when the mad rush of homework and soccer and everything else had fallen apart, when he was himself again, he would stand on the street corners near his house, or look out his window, and watch life shoot by him. He enjoyed being able to stand there, watching and waiting for life to pass him by. Sometimes he would count the cars as they zoomed off, a thousand lives moving in individual tracks. From his window he could watch as every individual current in the great sea of humanity took its own way home. And then, his curiousity satisfied, his need to see where people were going, what they were doing, their sheer numbers stunning him, he would return to his desk. Return to his work, or his practice or whatever and ignore them. But he was always aware, no matter where he was, of the bustling people outside, the vast sea of people who flooded by him, each with their own lives, their own purpose, their own flaws. It was immersion in that vast ocean that made him glad to be who he was.  
Cody took a moment to imagine the feel of his grandfather's rooms, the practice room at the dojo, the rooms in the house where he spent most of his time, sometimes admiring the gleam of light off of the golden trophies from his grandfather's younger days, sometimes watching the wind play with the ornaments. Then there was the moment of truth, that moment when he stood, bracing the floor in the dojo, his hands, sometimes sweaty and shaking, sometimes perfectly calm, holding the _shinai_ in a grip of iron, the rough feel of the _tsuba_ against his hands. There was the feeling of the armor, clutching around his waist and his body, shielding him, containing him and holding him inside. Once he even had felt his grandfather's katana, a weapon never to be used in kendo, from the same stance. That moment, when the world narrowed down, when it became, instead of a wide and wonderous place, full of many different things a very narrow slip of land down which he was advancing, where there was only him and his opponent, that moment was special. Suddenly things ceased to be confusing, fear ceased to be an issue, there was only him and the other person, only the subtle hints of muscle and position, only those moments when people stood still or moved forward, only that one action. Here Cody was at home.  
TK and Kari looked at each other briefly, and then quietly, as they had done before, too many times to count, let the power that lay dormant inside of their hearts flow out in a rush. It did not rise beyond their hearts, but they did not need it to. They were seeking this time, not seeking to change reality. They were caught in its current, the wellsprings of a tremendous power, but they were only the ways through which it entered the world, nothing more, nothing less. The fire flowed down from then, and then blasted out into the world around them. Together the beams of light joined up with light from the crests of the other digidestined, and shone through the fog of the Gate, like a signal beacon from afar, illuminating everything, a beam of light cutting the darkness.  
_You are the Guide_. A voice whispered inside of Kari's head. _It is your task to Guide those who are lost back to the Light that embraces all. Light is just that, a guide. Remember that and cherish it, and let your Light draw the worthy home._  
And then Izzy reached out with hands forged of mental might rather than flesh and blood, reaching for the power, and found their way home.  
The Gate flared white. For a moment it seemed to explode again, and then they were looking into the familiar swirling light of their first gateway trip.  
We've got it! Tai screamed exuberantly.  
Good, because we can't keep this up much longer. Omnimon grunted from behind them. Astonished, they looked around at the scene that their fascination with home had permitted them to overlook.  
Omnimon was still holding Ravisher even, sword to sword, but his muscles were shaking. Veemon and Wormmon were crawling over the ground toward their human companions.  
What happened? Tai asked.  
He had a few aces up his sleeve. Omnimon grunted. There was a moment when it looked like their guards might shift again. Then they stabilized, Ravisher steadily pressing down on his opponent. We've got a problem here folks.  
No kidding. Matt whispered back.  
Everyone else through the gate. TK barked, pointing. We have to get back.  
We can't leave Tai and Matt here by themselves. Mimi protested, wringing her hands.  
The hell you can't! Tai exploded suddenly. Someone has to get back, has to warn the others, has to save the world. We're only two people. Billions of lives might be at stake here, and you're the only ones who might be able to help.  
We need to cover your retreat. Matt yelled.   
Sora stood there for a moment, and then, cradling Biyomon in her arms, she bowed very low, very formally, and entered the swirling lights of the Gate, disappearing in a flash of white light. A moment later Joe and Gomamon, also bowing to the two leaders, disappeared into the turmoil. Mimi, eyes wet with tears, jumped through with Palmon right behind her. Davis walked by, paused, and then clasped both boys' shoulders wordlessly, before hurling himself through the Gate with Veemon clasped in one arm. Yolei smiled at them, but her eyes looked wet too, and then she walked very calmly and very gracefully straight through the glowing door. Izzy finished packing up his computer and walked through very straight, giving them one last backwards glance as he vanished into the infinite beyond.  
You've got to come. We need you. Ken whispered. But the two older boys shook their heads.  
We're sorry Ken, but not this time. Someone needs to protect you guys. Tai smiled back, but his eyes were shining with water. We'll see you again when the war is over.  
And then Ken was gone. Cody looked at them one last time, and then, decisively and resolutely he turned around and passed through the white light back to home. And then it was only brothers and sisters.  
For a moment it looked as if they might all break out crying, but then Tai and Matt were surprised as their siblings came over and looked at them calmly. They looked quiet, as if they had accepted this fate, and then they both smiled.  
Good luck. They said at once, voices quiet and controlled and proud, as if they were parents watching the fruits of their children burst out into full flower. Then they turned and headed for the Gate. There was a flash as they both entered, and then the light in the Gate began to shrink steadily, and Tai and Matt watched their last chance of going home disappear.  
  
There was a streak of white, a flash of light, and then Sorcerymon was there. He was facing a creature so far beyond Mega that it defied description, but he was a powerful Champion, and he had stored up all his rage for this single moment of vengence, when he could finally help undo the evil that Khartan had done to his world. Power blazed from him like a star, all of his power, not as an attack but as a blind release, and he channeled all his hope, all the great power of his sacrifice into a blast that should have shattered the world.  
His body glowed white for a moment, and then faded, collapsing back into its normal state like a candle that, for one moment, resembled the sun, and then faded into blackness. He slumped to the ground, spent and unconscious.  
Ravisher staggered back, blinded and deafened by that impact, tossed backwards like a rag doll. There was a force behind it that defied description, as if the last sacrifice of the Champion had given up more than he had ever posessed. And then in a moment, while he was reeling, Omnimon was upon him.  
Transcendent Sword! And light flashed to life again. Silver fire burned down the great rune-inscribed length of the invincible sword, and then it buried itself inside Ravisher's dark soul. The creature of darkness tilted his head back to the heavens and made one last despairing scream, but the heavens rejected him, and he collapsed into a limp heap, dust forgotten in the path of the world.  
As Omnimon returned to Koromon and Tsunumon, Tai and Matt rushed over to where Sorcerymon lay, already his eyes fading, turning hard and cold instead of warm and full of life. His body was broken, his life spent, but he still retained enough power to speak to them.  
Go! Go home. The words came out as a croak. Save your world. And then, with strength he should not have possessed, he grabbed Tai's shirt by the collar and pulled him closer. Avenge mine! He hissed, and at this he passed along all the fervor that had driven and sustained him all these years.  
Tai and Matt both nodded. They said no words, but no words were necessary. It was a promise more binding than steel, harder then diamond, and they all knew it. And then Sorcerymon released Tai's shirt, surrendered his battle and let death claim him, and take him back to his comrades of long ago. The last expression he had on his face, as digital decay took him was a faint smile, the last thing reflected in his eyes was a kind face that Tai did not recognize. And then he was gone.  
C'mon Tai. Let's go home. Matt whispered.  
The Gate! Koromon shouted. It's almost closed!  
  
The _Leonidas_ stopped over the barren plain, its viewscreens, its crew surveying a scene from their worst nightmare. When the flare of light had come through the transit point they had known, and they had been prepared, but nothing could have prepared them for this. Buildings, hardened fortifications, ships, troops, all had been eradicated by that blast.   
Even worse the explosion had done more environmental damage than physical. Three nearby mountain ranges had been eradicated, blasted down into gravel. The entire area was now a desolate plain, nothing but melted ground and blasted rock visible for kilometers, for as far as the eye could see. Where things had once grown, where children once might have played, it was all gone.  
We got them. Courage whispered.  
Justice responded, but his voice was hollow and cold and empty.  
So now what? Gennai asked.  
I suppose we go ahead with the plan. Justice sighed. I had wished that it had not had to end like this, but so it goes...  
Light said nothing, but came close and slipped her arm around Justice's shoulders, stabilizing them as something peculiarly like a sob escaped him.  
So now what? Knowledge looked downcast. After all it had taken Justice and him working together to create this weapon of destruction.  
We attack. Justice had managed to get himself under control. We can take every world with checkpoint abilities within five transits of Cormere. I happen to know for a fact that most of their mobile forces were here, defending against us, and most of their resources were also here, prepared for out attack. Every mobile unit and every spare defense within about ten transits just got reduced to slag and burned to ashes. With Fifth Wing's support we can take as far as we want.  
At which point they gather up their forces and prepare a counterattack. Knowledge reminded him gently.  
We know that Cortell. Justice responded absently. But we desperately need that time. Time to stabilize the situation, to dig in, to fortify our positions. We have just, at a stroke, liberated almost fifty worlds counting the isolated ones off the main transit axis. Fifty! We need to dig in on all those worlds, change their governments, chase out enemy supporters. But especially we need to dig in and prepare for a counterattack. We need time to erect our own fortifications, deploy our own weapons. We need to buy that time for ourselves, and we just did. It will take them months to build up enough forces out of their shipyards to counterattack, which means that we have months to put our battle plans into motion.  
So we bought ourselves enough time? Light asked hopefully.  
You know we bought ourselves time. I just don't know how much. Justice responded.  
You know that I'm worried about waiting for them to come to us. Gennai repeated. We need better information on this.  
Well, I don't like it either. But we don't have the manpower for a full fledged conquest. Besides, they've wasted too much energy setting things up nicely on Earth. I'm convinced that their assault on Earth will come before their real attack here.  
On your head be it. Gennai intoned and the two men nodded, returning to their study of what was once green and fruitful, and was now merely desolation incarnate.  
  
Space and time, eternity and infinity twisted and warped around them, and then, like some primordial beast, rising from the pools of eternity between the distant stars, snaked upwards and finally deposited them. Their ears still rang with the sound of unearthly thunders, their eyes still covered with the multi-colored fireworks that had so recently been flung past them, but gradually the rainbow of colors faded and the familiar sight of dirt, grass, concrete and the growth of living things confronted them, filling their vision. Wherever they had intended to go, they were left in a copse of bushes that effectively shielded them from outside view.  
Sora blinked and rose from the ground, still trying to clear the cobwebs out of her skull. For once in her life she could honestly say that everything hurt, and it hurt just about equally. Fortunately the pain began to diminish almost immediately, as if her body had been sick and tired of being tossed about in the void between worlds, and was happy to be back on a solid planet again. Around her other crumpled figures, with an astonishing variety of groans and moans, began to lift themselves off of the ground, shaking heads and blinking eyes as if the world around them was a strange creature that they no longer understood themselves.  
Where are we now? Izzy murmured, his shaking hand failing to unlock his laptop correctly.  
I'm not sure. That was Yolei, slowly managing to stagger upright. I hope we got to the right place.  
Davis reached over to the bush closest to him and managed to part its branches, staring through them, eyes adjusting to the new sunlight.   
There, spanning the massive waters of the bay, was Rainbow Bridge, overshadowing the park they were in. The huge bulk of a large container transport was visible off to another side, probably heading to Yokohama. And above there was the roar of a passenger jet, screaming against the atmosphere as it began its approach to Tokyo-Haneda International Airport. The wind blew in, fresh from the ocean as the familiar Tokyo skyscape reasserted itself.  
Where are we? Ken asked groggily.  
Davis had never felt so glad to be home in his life.   
Izzy had managed to get his computer open and was checking something. It looks like we arrived in time. Business as usual according to the news sites.  
We lost Tai and Matt. Sora's voice sounded very soft, and suddenly everyone fell silent.  
TK stood up. He was smiling. You know those two. He laughed suddenly, and they all perked up. They'll turn up sooner or later. He looked up with a glimmer in his eye at that.  
There was a thud as something slammed into the tree that sheltered the copse of bushes, then another thud, then a pair of lighter thuds. This was followed by a few cracking noises, and Tai and Matt, Koromon and Tsunomon fell out of the tree on top of the other digidestined. They both looked even more frazzled, Matt's hair was filled with twigs, and TK swore that a piece of Tai's was actually smoking, but they appeared to be none the worse for the wear.  
We made it back. Izzy greeted Tai's almost incoherent question.  
There was a croak as Tai tried to speak. The leader stopped, consciously wetted his throat and then spoke in a dry voice. I never doubted us for a second.  
And it looks like there's a world here to welcome us home. Cody looked around and breathed in the beautiful taste of the air.  
Any sign of Khartan? Tai sounded stronger.  
Izzy kept typing on the computer. Even if he's been here longer than we have, he's doing a pretty good job of hiding from us. Either he hasn't been here long enough to do anything, or he's up to something.  
Probably up to something. Matt shrugged. But then again, what else do villains do with their time anyway?  
So what's the plan? TK asked.  
The same plan we always have. Tai responded decisively. We stop him cold.  
Send the alert. Ken whispered to Izzy. Go to Phase One now.  
Already done. Izzy replied. Even if they neutralize us, if they want a war, they've come to the right place.  
They're coming all right. Ken murmured.  
  
  
Thanks for reading! Remember to review! I'll see you in Acts of War: Holding the Line.  
  
-danAlwyn  
  
  



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